


From A Certain Child's Point of View: Sanctuary

by Lailuva



Series: From The Child's Point of View [4]
Category: The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Alternate POV, Baby Yoda POV, Baby Yoda and Din figuring out how this whole deal is gonna work now, Baby Yoda attempts mischief, Canon-Typical Violence, Din attempts parenting, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Separation Anxiety
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-27
Updated: 2020-04-08
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:00:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 21,705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22917379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lailuva/pseuds/Lailuva
Summary: He's finally escaped all the bad people and the bad places, and he has a new life with his new dad.  Now they have to figure out how this new life is going to work for both of them.Part of a series of The Mandalorian from Baby Yoda's POV.
Relationships: Baby Yoda & The Mandalorian (The Mandalorian TV)
Series: From The Child's Point of View [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1592260
Comments: 314
Kudos: 595





	1. The Skughole

Living with Dad is the best life has ever been.

At first he’d been sad about the pod being gone, but soon he found out that no pod meant it was  _ never _ quiet time and he  _ never  _ had to stay alone in the dark and wait. He could wander around most of the ship; Dad didn’t let him in some places, but never yelled when he tried. Dad fed him whenever he was hungry, and wrapped him in a warm blanket to go to sleep. All he had to do was pat Dad’s boot and Dad would always pay attention, letting him sit on the dashboard to watch the stars or handing him the ball to play with. If he asked for attention enough, Dad would even hold him, and if he talked, Dad talked back. And Dad never, ever hit him.

They had spent the past several days doing what Dad called “random jumps” through space. Dad had said something about throwing people off their trail too. He was pretty sure Dad meant the White Armors, though he didn’t say.

Now Dad was figuring out a random jump again, staring at all the bright lights and looking at the pictures on the dashboard screen, and not paying him any attention at all.

He tried patting and pulling on Dad’s boot, but even that didn’t work at first, until he decided to taste the silver cylinders on Dad’s boot, then pull one out to see if he could make it sparkle. Dad took the cylinder, and when he whined set him on the dashboard instead. But then Dad went back to his screen and still wouldn’t pay attention to him!

The dashboard is full of lights and buttons, though.  _ Pretty, _ he observes, when a flash of green catches his eye. That is a big button. It looks important. Dad lets him sit on the dashboard, but does not let him touch the buttons. Dad has said no touching lots of times.

He presses the button, and there is a sound and the green goes away. He looks up at Dad. Dad will talk to him now.

But Dad just presses another button and looks at his screen again.

He wants the pretty green back, so he presses the button again. Another sound, and the green comes back.

“Stop touching things,” says Dad, and he looks over right away. Dad is talking to him!

But Dad goes back to his screen again! The screen is boring, there’s only circles on it. Dad should be paying attention to  _ him _ right now!

He knows how to make Dad do that.

He watches Dad as he reaches back. He is going to touch the green again and make the sound. Dad will pay attention to him then.

His hand pushes the button and the ship starts shaking and making very loud noises. Before he can do anything, though, Dad pushes the button and then picks him up!  _ Wheee! _ Dad tucks him into his arm, where he is warm and safe. He likes it here.

He can see Dad’s screen even better now. There are lots of lines and blue dots and he doesn’t really understand why Dad finds it so interesting, but just when he is about to start looking for a new button, Dad says “Let’s see… Sorgan. Looks like there’s no star port, no industrial centers, no population density.” The picture changes from blue lines to a big circle full of lines. “Real backwater skughole,” continues Dad, “which means it’s perfect for us.”

He looks up and Dad is looking down at him. “Ready to lay low and stretch your legs for a couple of months, you little womp rat?” asks Dad.

_ Yes, _ he says,  _ I want to go with you! _

“Nobody’s going to find us here,” says Dad.

He holds on to Dad’s fingers as the ship jumps into the starlines for a while, then goes back into stars. A big green planet is ahead.  _ This is the skughole? _ he asks Dad.

“Let’s find a quiet place to land,” says Dad. “We don’t want to draw any extra attention.”

_ I like attention, _ he tells Dad. He will have to remember the green button is one that will make Dad pay attention to him.

They get closer and closer to the green planet until he can see tiny trees and lakes of water. It’s so green! He remembers green things, long ago before Yarull. A happy green place with yummy food and nice people dances on the edge of his memory, but a memory is less exciting than the real thing, and he looks out the cockpit as the ship lands.

Dad lets go of the black handles in front of him as the ship touches down. Dad always holds them when he makes the ship move, so that must be what they do. He wants to make the ship move too! He grabs them but Dad starts talking and takes his hands away.  _ Hey! _

“It shouldn’t take too long,” says Dad, turning around and putting him in the chair. Dad looks down at him. “Now, don’t touch anything. I’ll find us some lodging, then I’ll come back for you.”

Come back? Dad is leaving?

“You stay right here,” says Dad, pointing a finger at him and using a new kind of voice. It’s maybe-firm but not a mad voice and he doesn’t understand it. “You stay. Don’t move. You understand?”

_ I don’t want to, _ he says.

“Great,” says Dad, then he turns and walks away. Dad is leaving!

He hurries after Dad. The ladder to down below is a long drop, but he always lands lightly. He stopped the big scary monster and he can stop himself from landing hard. He’d had practice with the pod, and this is more high up and even more fun. He’s been practicing here too, although the first time he practiced in front of Dad it made Dad feel scared, so he only does it when Dad isn’t looking. He doesn’t want to make Dad scared, so he waits until he is sure Dad won’t see him before he drops and lands gently enough his feet don’t even sting.

By the time Dad presses the button to open the door, he’s made it all the way to Dad’s side. Dad looks down and sees him.  _ Let’s go, Dad! _ he says. _ I want to go! _

Dad sighs, like he usually does. “Oh, what the hell? Come on.”

Dad walks out of the ship and he follows. The air smells fresh and clean and nice, so different from the still air of the White Armors’ building or the dry hot smell of where Dad and Goggles and the mean people had been. He likes it! The metal of the ramp is cool and hard, but then he touches the ground. Soft and pokey and tickly with every step! He giggles at the sensation. It feels so good!

He looks up to tell Dad about it but Dad is far away.  _ Wait for me! _ he yells.

Dad starts but turns and waits for him to catch up, and he does.  _ I like this place, Dad, _ he says.  _ Let’s go, let’s go! _

Dad walks and he follows. Dad’s steps are bigger, but Dad goes slow and waits for him to catch up if he gets too far behind. Dad will not leave him, so he doesn’t worry as they head down the forest path.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait, but Baby Yoda decided to be very difficult this time around.
> 
> Me: Hey look, the plot! Let's look at that!  
> BY: No. Also, I want to talk about my feelings.  
> Me: .....I can't say no to you.
> 
> I'm ready to have fun with Episode 4 and I hope y'all enjoy it too.
> 
> Next time: Meeting a new friend and sharing soup.


	2. The Shocktrooper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> His dad makes a cool new friend, but more importantly, he gets soup.

There are brown buildings at the end of the path, and people walking between them, all with different faces and different bodies and all exciting to see. They are all tall like Dad, though. One almost steps on him and Dad tells the person to watch out.

Dad leads him to one of the brown buildings that has a delicious scent coming out of it. His middle grumbles as soon as he smells it. He likes it even better than the forest smell. He hopes Dad will give him food soon.

The people here are all tall like Dad, and the ones not as tall as Dad are still taller than him. He follows Dad through them; lots of them look at him and some even point.  _ Hello, _ he tells them, but they don’t talk back to him.

Then he sees someone his size - a furry orange thing with big ears like him and four legs. Maybe it will talk to him!  _ Hi, _ he says, walking up to it.

A growl and big teeth are all he gets! Scary!  _ Dad! _ he squeaks, running away from the mean fuzzy thing, but it doesn’t chase him so Dad doesn’t make it turn into sparkles. They pass more people until they come to a table with no people at it, and Dad picks him up and puts him on a chair. Now he is tall and can see! He likes it, although he still likes Dad holding him better.

Dad sits down at the other chair and a woman with a big smile walks over to them. “Welcome, travelers,” she says. “Can I interest you in anything?”

_ I want food, _ he says, just as Dad says “Bone broth, for the little one.”

Big Smile says there’s plenty and asks Dad if he wants food too, but Dad says no. Dad never eats, even when he offers him his own food. He doesn’t understand. Even Yarull and the others ate food. He likes food, but Dad must not need it.

Dad keeps talking to Big Smile but it’s boring, so he looks around. Something tells him to look in the corner and he sees a woman with black hair and blue armor staring at him and Dad. She looks away after a moment, then gets up and walks away.

Big Smile walks away, and then Dad suddenly stands up and walks away too. “Keep an eye on the kid,” he tells Big Smile, tossing her something shiny, and she happily says “Yes sir!”

He watches Dad leave the building. Dad feels… he doesn’t quite understand, but it is something about the woman with black hair. Maybe Black Hair is someone Dad wants to turn into sparkles? Or is she like Goggles, someone who will help Dad?

Big Smile returns with a bowl of hot, steaming, delicious-smelling broth. “There you are, sweetheart,” she says, setting the bowl in front of him. “Eat up and your papa will be back in just a minute. Let me know if you need something.” She walks away.

Big Smile walked away, Black Hair walked away, Dad walked away. He is all alone.

Suddenly he remembers the scary building with the White Armors. He didn’t see Dad walk away then but he knows he did. Dad was gone when he tried to look for him! He doesn’t want Dad to go away!

His middle growls and he grabs the bowl of broth before he slides down the side of the chair. He lands lightly like he always does. The broth tries to splash him in the face but he makes it go back in the bowl, then heads out the nearest door to find Dad.

He can hear noises, stomping noises and grunting noises, and follows them to see Dad and Black Hair rolling on the ground. They pull out their blasters and point them at each other at the same time but don’t shoot.

What are they doing? It makes no sense. Are they play-fighting like Yarull would do sometimes with the others? He drinks his broth while waiting to see what Dad will do.

Dad and Black Hair look at him.  _ What? _ he asks.

“You want some soup?” Dad asks.

Black Hair stares at him for a moment before she says, “Hell, why not?” She and Dad stand up and put their blasters away. Dad picks him up and carries him as they head back into the building. He keeps a tight hold on his soup.

Black Hair keeps staring at him. “What is that?”

“A kid,” says Dad.

Black Hair snorts. “Right.”

He tells Black Hair  _ Hello! _ but she doesn’t respond, so he goes back to his soup.

When they get inside Big Smile runs up to them, but she doesn’t have her smile anymore and she feels scared. “Sir, I’m so sorry,” she says. “I just helped another customer and when I turned around -”

“He does that,” says Dad. “Don’t worry. Can we have another bowl of broth?”

“Of course!” says Big Smile, and she hurries away.

Dad puts him down on the chair again and he and Black Hair sit down. “Mandalorian, huh?” says Black Hair. “Don’t often see a hunter like you out this way.”

“I’m not hunting right now,” says Dad.

Black Hair’s shoulders relax, and she puts her hands on the table. “Good to know,” she says, and then she laughs. He likes the sound; Dad only ever just sighs. “Been a while since I had a good brawl like that. Nice one, Mando. Or do you got a name?”

Dad only looks at her until she shrugs. Big Smile brings another bowl of broth and sets it down in front of Dad, who pushes it over to Black Hair. “What brings you out here?” Dad asks Black Hair. “Didn’t think I’d see a Rebel shocktrooper in these parts.”

“You know your stripes,” says Black Hair with a grin. “Cara Dune, by the way.”

He drinks more soup. Dad nods his head but doesn't speak.

“Can’t say I’ve ever seen one of your kind in person before,” says Cara. “And definitely not with…” She looks over at him. “A kid.” She frowns. “Is he who you’re out here collecting?”

Dad feels angry suddenly, and leans forward, his hand dropping to his belt. “No.”

Cara raises an eyebrow but she tenses and he senses she’s ready for a fight. “I didn’t think Mandalorians got hired as babysitters.”

“He’s with me,” says Dad. “I rescued him from some Imps. We’re laying low for now.”

“I can respect that. Makes sense you’d try to hide out here, then,” says Cara, visibly relaxing.

Dad’s hands go back on the table, and the angry feelings fade away. “That’s why I’m here. What about you?” he asks.

Cara drinks her soup for a while before she finally speaks. “Saw most of my action mopping up after Endor,” says Cara. “Mostly ex-Imperial warlords. They wanted it fast and quiet; they’d send us in on the drop ships, no support, just us. Then when the Imps were gone the politics started. We were peacekeepers, protecting delegates, suppressing riots. Not what I signed up for.” He senses… not sad, not mad, something similar but not similar enough for him to understand.

“How’d you end up here?” asks Dad.

Black Hair is staring at him again, like she knows he knows what she feels. “Let’s just call it an early retirement,” she says, slurping up her soup. She is still watching him, but he doesn’t mind. Big Boss and Yarull’s other friends always stared at him like the other people in this building, like he was something to be looked at and talked about but not to. Cara looks him in his eyes like Dad does, like he is someone she would talk to if she understood his words.

She looks back up at Dad. “Look, I knew you were Guild, I figured you had a fob on me. That’s why I came at you so hard.”

“Yeah, that’s what I figured,” says Dad.

Cara is looking at him again. “Well, this has been a real treat,” she tells him, though her smile does not go to her eyes. “But unless you want to go another round, one of us is gonna have to move on, and I was here first.” She sets down her bowl and walks away.

“Well, looks like this planet’s taken,” Dad tells him, leaning on the table.

He likes this planet and thinks it’s big enough for them to share, but Dad does not answer when he tells him that, so he goes back to his broth.

They stay in the building for a while. Cara does not come back. Dad lets him have another bowl of soup, and he drinks until his middle is full and sloshy. When Dad finally stands he doesn’t want to walk, and when he reaches out Dad picks him up and carries him instead.

They go to a few more buildings. Dad gives coins to the people with things he wants, asking them about things like ration bars and soap and medpacs. He only half-listens; it’s more fun to watch all the people. There are small people, tall people, purple people, green people, pink people, hairy people, tentacle-head people, loud people, soft people. He can sense happy, sad, and mad feelings all around him, hear all the chattering voices. He likes the quiet of Dad’s ship but he likes this too. He even sees Cara once and waves at her, though she doesn’t look and doesn’t wave back as she walks out into the forest.

Dad makes him walk again, even though he whines, because Dad’s arms are full of the boxes of things he got. He tries to carry one but it’s too heavy, and when he lifts a hand to try and raise it up, Dad quickly pulls his hand down and hisses “No!” It’s confusing, because Dad doesn’t care if he moves things on the ship, like when he makes the silver ball float. But Dad feels scared when he raises his hand again, so he lets Dad carry all the boxes by himself and follows after. Dad goes slow so he doesn’t get left behind, and it’s dark by the time they reach the ship.

“I need to do some maintenance on the ship,” says Dad. “We can go soon since we’ve restocked, but I want to get the ship cleaned up while we’ve got some time.”

_ I want to help, _ he says.

“You can take a nap,” says Dad, picking him up and wrapping him in the blue blanket he always gets for sleeping time. Dad takes him over to the little bunk and lays him down. He kicks his feet, trying to get out of the blanket. He doesn’t want to stay here! He wants to follow Dad!

Dad sighs and picks him back up, laying him down in his arms. Dad sways unevenly on his feet, arms rocking with the motion. “Good night,” says Dad.

_ I don’t want to, _ he grumbles. A big yawn escapes his mouth.

“Shh, shh,” says Dad, bouncing him a little. “Just for a little bit. Go to sleep.”

He can’t help but yawn again, and his eyes droop closed.  _ Okay, Dad, _ he mumbles. _ Just for a little bit… _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cara introduces herself immediately because while I enjoy giving everyone silly nicknames it also drives me crazy lol. Season 2 better have every new character introducing themselves by full name onscreen.
> 
> Next time: He and Dad and Cara all take a trip to a village out in the middle of nowhere.


	3. The Village

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Their little group makes it to the village. It seems like a nice place.

He hears voices. Dad’s voice, but new voices too. Footsteps and boxes moving.

He opens his eyes, rubbing the sleep out of them. His bunk is open, and he can see Dad and two other men moving boxes off the ship. They are dressed in blue clothes and have dark hair, and when they look at Dad they are a little uneasy, but happy too.

_ Hello? _ he coos at them. _ Who are you? _

The one with a hat sees him and hits the arm of his companion, who turns to stare at him too. “What’s that?” blurts No Hat.

Dad looks over at them. “A kid.”

No Hat and Hat look between him and Dad several times. “Your kid is very cute, sir,” says Hat. Dad takes his box outside.

“That must be why he wanted the lodging,” mutters No Hat. “He’s got a kid to look after.”

“Do you think that’s what he looks like under the helmet?” whispers Hat.

“Maybe that’s why they don’t take them off,” says No Hat.

Dad walks back inside. “These next,” he says, pointing to two more boxes, and once Hat and No Hat pick them up Dad walks over to him.  _ Who are they? _ he asks Dad.

Dad doesn’t answer, picking him up and carrying him outside. There is a flat wagon there with a droid pilot, similar to one Yarull’s friends had had. Dad sets him on the wagon, far away from the droid, amid several other boxes. “Just a few more,” he says.

Hat and No Hat go with Dad back in the ship to get more boxes that they set on the wagon. The droid warbles curiously at them, though he can’t understand the words.

“I’m gonna need one more thing,” says Dad. “Give me those credits.”

No Hat eyes Dad warily. “I thought you wanted lodging as your payment.”

“It sounds like a two-man job. I want to hire help,” says Dad. “I already have someone in mind. We’ll get her, then we can go to your farm.”

Hat and No Hat look at each other. They do not feel happy, but they hand Dad a little bag that clinks. The three of them climb on the wagon and it starts to move where Dad points.

The wagon is slow and bump-bumpy. He tries to walk around, but tips over onto Dad’s leg. Dad sits him back upright. “You stay,” says Dad, and this time he decides he should listen.

Dad doesn’t talk and Hat and No Hat don’t either. Finally the wagon approaches a light deep in the woods. He stands up, grabbing the side of the wagon, and looks out but can’t see who it is sitting next to the light. He closes his eyes and reaches out with his sense with no name instead, and recognizes who it is. It’s Cara!

Dad has the wagon stop and walks over to the light. A few minutes later, Dad walks back with Cara.  _ Hi, Cara _ , he chirrups. Cara stares at him and gives him a small smile. Hat and No Hat tell her hi from where they sit next to the droid, and Cara nods back. She sits in the back with him and Dad, and the wagon starts to move again.

“So what’s this job you want me to help with?” Cara asks after a few moments.

“Their village is being extorted by raiders. Stole their krill harvest. They need us to put a stop to it,” says Dad.

“So we’re basically running off a band of raiders off for lunch money?” asks Cara, her eyebrows raising.

“They’re quartering us in the middle of nowhere. Last I checked that’s a pretty square deal for somebody in your position,” says Dad. “Worst case scenario, you tune up your blaster. Best case, we’re a deterrent. I can’t imagine there’s anything living in these trees that an ex-shocktrooper couldn’t handle.”

Cara snorts softly and gives him a little grin. Dad only leans back against the side of the wagon, his armor gleaming in the lamplight. He likes it so he copies Dad and leans back too. Through the trees he can see the sky, full of glittering stars. It’s so pretty and sparkly. He watches them for a long time, until the trees get thicker and he can’t see them anymore.

He sits back up and sees that Cara’s eyes are closed and she is sleeping. He hears a snore and looks over. Dad is sleeping too.

He scoots over and tucks himself under Dad’s arm. His blanket is soft and nice, but he still likes Dad the best.

-

They travel all night. He sleeps for a little bit, safely tucked under Dad’s arm, but when he gets up the sky is full of beautiful colors and he wants to watch. It starts out grey and blue with little bits of pink, then more pink with orange and yellow, a whole rainbow lighting up the fluffy grey clouds until bright sunlight makes the whole forest green and beautiful. Rays of gold slant through the trees, lighting up bright green leaves and brown trunks and sparkling pools of water. They finally leave the trees and sunshine is everywhere, making him blink. When he can see again, he looks ahead to see lots of square pools all around a cluster of brown buildings, like the town where he and Dad had met Cara. People are running all over it, and he goes to the edge of the wagon to get a better look.

The wagon jolts to a stop, waking up Cara and Dad. _ Look, Dad! Look, Cara! _ he says as smaller people all start shouting and running to the wagon. “Look, they’re here!” shouts one in a higher voice than all the other people he’s met. At first he doesn’t understand why these people are smaller and have different voices, but then he realizes: these are children, just like him!

“Well, looks like they’re happy to see us,” says Dad as all the children run up to the wagon. But the children don’t go up to Dad like adults always do - they come to see him! All of them are clustering around him! “Hi,” says the girl in front of him with a big smile.

He laughs with delight. They are all so happy and they want to see him!  _ Hi! Hi! _ he tells them all.

“He’s so cute,” says another child. None of them grab his ears or hit him. They smile at him, and like Dad, they talk to him.  _ Hello! _ he tells them,  _ hello, it’s nice to see you! _

Dad and Cara have gotten off the wagon and lots of other people in blue clothes are starting to take Dad’s things, and that’s when he realizes Dad and Cara are walking away.  _ Wait for me! _ he shouts, and tries to climb off the wagon.

Dad turns around and hurries back. The children part quickly; a few have a flicker of scared feelings.  _ My Dad is nice. Dad doesn’t hit, _ he tells them.

“Come on, you,” says Dad, picking him up and setting him down on the ground. It’s soft and a little mushy and he loves the feeling of the squishy dirt on his toes. Dad starts walking and he follows.

Cara watches them, frowning. “Aren’t you worried about him getting in the ponds?”

Dad freezes, and suddenly he finds himself scooped up into the air.  _ Wheee! _

Dad carries him past all the ponds and the people. He squirms - there are interesting things everywhere and he wants to explore! Sticks are propped together to hold tools and pans he has no name for. Baskets full of interesting-smelling things are piled at different random locations. He even sees a frog jumping by one of the ponds!  _ Dad, frog, _ he whines, but Dad doesn’t set him down until they are in the middle of the buildings. He takes a box instead from No Hat, who had followed him. No Hat says he’ll help bring more and tells Dad to go to three buildings down before he leaves. Dad walks to the building and he follows along after.

They reach the building. Dad goes in first after someone inside says “Please come in.” He follows and sees that inside is a woman with long, pretty black hair with a blue ribbon in it. He’s never seen anything like it. He wants to touch it.

“I hope this is comfortable for you,” says Blue Ribbon. “Sorry that all we have is the barn.”

“This will do fine,” says Dad. He thinks it will be fine too. There is a whole room full of interesting boxes and baskets. There is no pod and no loud booming and no mean people and no scary monster. Lots of light filters through and it even smells interesting.

“I stacked some blankets over here,” says Blue Ribbon, gesturing to the corner.

“Thank you, that’s very kind,” says Dad, leaning down to put his box and rifle away.

He senses someone new and turns to see the girl who had told him “Hi” first out of all the children, peeking into the door. But Dad suddenly jumps to his feet and the girl jumps back, scared. Dad freezes, though he doesn’t feel scared, but that different feeling he still doesn’t understand.

Blue Ribbon walks over to the girl and brings her to the door, holding her close. “This is my daughter, Winta. We don’t get a lot of visitors around here. She’s not used to strangers.”

_ It’s okay,  _ he tells Winta. _ Dad won’t hurt you. _

Winta feels safe with Blue Ribbon, who strokes her hair. “This nice man is going to help protect us from the bad ones.”

“Thank you,” whispers Winta. Dad nods at her.

“Come on, Winta. Let’s give our guests some room,” says Blue Ribbon. She smiles, and she and Winta walk away hand-in-hand.

Dad stares after them, and for some reason, he feels… almost-sad? He doesn’t really understand. He walks over and pats Dad’s boot.  _ What’s wrong, Dad? _

Dad doesn’t answer. He wishes he was tall enough to hold Dad’s hand, like Winta could with her mom.

Cara comes with Hat and No Hat and more villagers. Children come too, but the adults make them stay outside. They bring Dad’s boxes and cots for him and Cara. Cara helps them move things but Dad picks him up and watches, sometimes telling them where to put things. The villagers say they have food and something called spotchka for them. Cara wants the spotchka, whatever that is. He wants the food.

_ Dad, food, _ he whines as he watches the others all leave. Dad only sighs.

“Hello?” says a familiar voice, and Blue Ribbon is back outside with a wooden contraption in her hands, like a pod made of sticks instead of metal.

“Come in,” says Dad.

“I thought this might be something nice for your little one,” she says with a smile. Her smile is nice and he likes it. “It was my daughter’s when she was a baby.”

Dad feels surprised but then happy. “Thank you. That is… much appreciated.”

“He’s so little I didn’t think you were co-sleeping,” says Blue Ribbon cheerfully. She walks in and puts down the pod-like thing. “I did with Winta for a while, but the crib was so nice once I got her used to it.” She spreads a blanket in the pod-thing - the crib? “Boy or girl?”

“What?” asks Dad, looking up from the box he’d started to unpack.

Blue Ribbon nods at him. “Your little one. Boy or girl? Or a genderless species? I’m sorry if I assumed.”

“Boy,” says Dad.

“He’s adorable,” says Blue Ribbon, kneeling down and reaching out her hand. He takes her finger and she gently wiggles it. Finger game! He squeals with delight and plays.

“How old?” asks Blue Ribbon, smiling widely as he grasps her fingers.

“Fifty,” says Dad.

“Months?”

“Years.”

Blue Ribbon’s eyes pop out and she is very surprised. “Well, I guess species age differently,” she says with a laugh.

Dad freezes, his shoulders hard, but then relaxes. “They do,” he says.

Blue Ribbon gently takes her finger from his grasp and stands to face Dad, who is still crouching by his box, though he doesn’t seem to be doing much with it. “We eat communally here in the village. You’re welcome to join us.”

“Thank you,” says Dad.

“Caben says your friend is Cara Dune, but he only referred to you as Mandalorian,” says Blue Ribbon. “What name would you like us to call you?”

“Mandalorian is fine,” says Dad.

Blue Ribbon feels surprised, though it doesn’t show much on her face. “My name is Omera. Thank you for agreeing to help our village.”

“You’re welcome,” says Dad.

Omera smiles and leaves. Dad stops crouching in front of the box and walks over to him, scooping him up and then setting him in the pod-that-is-called-a-crib. “Probably not escape-proof enough for you, womp rat,” says Dad, rubbing his head. “But at least it’s comfortable.”

The sticks are smooth and the blanket on the bottom is soft and comfy. He likes it, just like he likes the trees and the mud and the ponds and the sunshine. He hopes everywhere here is just as nice, and he hopes they can stay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Really wish Omera got introduced onscreen by name. It seems pretty silly that she didn't. Out of curiosity, how do you think her name is pronounced? I pronounce it "Oh-mare-uh" myself.
> 
> Next time: Baby makes a new friend!


	4. The Girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He makes a new friend.

He can sense people, lots of people outside their little building: noises and smells and  _ life, _ shining brightly like stars through the sense he cannot name. He whines to Dad  _ Let’s go! Let’s go! _ but Dad does not listen. Dad gives him some food and plays the finger game with him if he whines loud enough, but otherwise he stays in the crib and Dad works on taking apart and cleaning his weapons.

“Knock knock,” says someone, and Dad tells them to come in. Omera walks in, carrying a tray of food that she sets down in the corner, and then Winta runs in after her. Winta has food too, and his ears perk up when he sees Winta look over at him. He can sense it: she wants to give him the food!

Winta looks at Dad, then up at Omera. He can sense that she is scared of Dad, but Omera knows better and isn’t. Omera smiles and nods encouragingly at Winta. “Can I feed him?” Winta asks Dad.

“Sure,” says Dad, and he goes back to cleaning his rifle.

Winta leans down in front of him. She has pretty hair though it’s not as long as Omera’s, and kind brown eyes. He already likes her, and he likes her more when she shows him the food in her hands! “Are you hungry?” she asks.

He gobbles the food right up! Winta gives him a huge smile and feels so happy when he does, so happy she laughs. “Can I play with him?” she asks Dad.

For a moment he thinks Dad will say no. Dad did not let him get out of the pod, so Dad might not let him get out of the crib. But Dad says “Sure,” and leans down, picking him up out of the crib.  _ Wheee! _

Dad sets him on the floor and Winta starts to run, waving him after her. “Come on!”

_ Wait for me! _ he says as he hurries after her.

Dad is talking to Omera but he doesn’t listen - there’s too much ahead to see! The dirt puffs against his toes as he shuffles along after Winta, and when he calls for her to wait for him she does. The sun is warm on his skin as Winta leads him into a dirt clearing in between buildings. More children run out and join them.

“Is that the Mandalorian’s baby?” asks one of them.

“The Mandalorian said we could play with him!” says Winta. “Do you want to chase us, baby?”

_ Yes, yes! _ he says, and the children laugh and start to run around him in circles. They’re bigger and faster like everyone else, but this time he doesn’t mind. They slow down enough that he can almost catch him, but are careful to never kick or step on him.

“Catch us, baby!” says a boy with a hat, jumping when he almost grabs him by the ankle.

Another child taps him on the head, but he can sense it’s playful, not mean, and the child laughs when he almost grabs their finger. Maybe if he is fast enough he can make them play the finger game!

A few more children come, running in circles and chasing each other while he tries to catch them. Then Omera arrives, kneeling in front of him, and Winta copies her. The other children cluster around too. “He’s so cute, Mama,” says Winta.

“We were being careful, Omera,” says Hat Boy.

“Good,” says Omera. “He’s very little. You have to treat him gently.”

Omera holds out her hand and he gets to play the finger game with her. Then all the children give him their hands! He has more fingers to play with than he knows what to do with!

He grasps them all, but then he realizes he left Dad behind. Maybe Dad wants to play too?  _ Dad, Dad! _ he calls.

“What is it, baby?” asks Winta.

“It’s all right,” says Omera, gently taking his hand. “Your papa’s inside, eating his dinner. He’ll come get you soon.”

He looks back at the barn and Omera is right. He can see the metal of Dad’s armor in the window, though most of Dad is hidden in the shadows. Strangely, the helmet is next to Dad’s chest instead of on top of it. That never happens, but maybe it’s different here? Maybe Dad does eat sometimes after all?

He waves at the window and Dad’s hand waves back. That’s all he needs, and he goes back to playing.

-

He gets to chase the children and play the finger game to his heart’s content. Every time one child stops playing another starts, and he is never bored. He doesn’t stop until he sees Dad walk out, his rifle back on his back and his helmet on his head again, with Cara Dune at his side. Omera goes over to them and he follows after.

“We’re going to scout the raiders’ camp,” said Dad. “The other villagers said it was south of here.”

“That’s correct,” said Omera.

“We should be back before dusk,” said Cara. “If not, we’ll comm you.”

“We only have the one in the village. I’ll make sure someone is monitoring it,” said Omera. “Good luck, and thank you.”

Dad and Cara both nod at her and start to walk away. He follows them, but they’re taking big steps.  _ Dad, wait for me! _

Dad and Cara stop and turn around to look at him. He hurries up to them, tripping over a stray stick. Maybe if Dad carries him it will be easier. He reaches up for Dad.

“No,” says Dad. “You stay here.”

No? That can’t be right. He reaches up again.  _ Dad,  _ he whines.

“No,” repeats Dad. “You stay here, in the village.”

Cara folds her arms and bites her lip, as if she’s trying not to laugh. Dad does not like that. “You wait right here. Understand?” he says, pointing his finger.

No! He doesn’t want to wait here! He’s supposed to go with Dad! He whines, pulling on Dad’s boot. _ I want to go too! _

“It’s okay,” says Omera’s voice, and gentle hands pick him up. Omera holds him close in her arms, bouncing him gently. “You can stay here and play, and he’ll be right back. It’s okay.”

He still whines, reaching out for Dad. Dad is staring at him, and Dad wants and doesn’t want him to go too. If he whines more Dad will give him attention, Dad will take him along!

“You go ahead,” Omera says. “We’ll be all right.”

Dad isn’t sure, but Cara tugs on his sleeve, and Dad turns around and walks away. Dad is leaving him!  _ Dad! _ he yells as loud as he can.  _ Dad, come back! _

Dad’s steps slow down, but Cara nods at him, and he speeds back up. No matter how loud he yells, Dad does not turn around. Dad does not come back. He watches until Dad and Cara disappear into the trees, and suddenly he remembers the big room, the scary black droid, Glasses and his needle -

“Now don’t you fret, little one,” says Omera, interrupting his thoughts. He looks up at her. “Your papa will be back, don’t you worry. He’ll miss you too, but soon he’ll be back.” She smiles, warm and happy, and he feels a little better.

“Let’s play some more!” says one of the children, and the others agree.

“Not right now,” says Omera. “Let’s not overwhelm him. And all of you should be heading home, and helping your parents with the evening chores.”

The other children scatter, except for Winta, who smiles up at him. She reaches out a finger and he takes it. Winta giggles when he shakes it.

“Winta, I need to tell Kersta to man the comm for a while longer,” says Omera. “Can you watch him? I think he could use a fun distraction. Why don’t you take him on a walk?”

“Of course, Mama!” says Winta.

“Remember, he’s a little one. Keep him away from the ponds. And don’t leave the village.”

“I won’t, Mama,” says Winta. Omera hands him to Winta, who holds him tight. Too tight! He whines and Winta sets him down, offering him her finger instead. He takes it.

“I’ll be back in a few minutes,” says Omera. Winta nods and Omera walks away. Winta watches her mother. She doesn’t mind her mother walking away, and she doesn’t cry either.

“Come on,” says Winta. “I can show you around.”

Winta has to stoop to let him hold her finger but she does, and they walk slowly through the village. Winta tells him who lives in every building, how long each pond has been around. Everyone says hello to her and she says hello back, and he says hi too. People like it when he says hi. No one hits him and tells him to shut up. Everyone smiles and is happy, and some of them even kneel down to play the finger game with him for just a moment.

“So that’s the Mandalorian’s son!” says a woman with long red hair. “I didn’t believe it when Stoke said he had a tiny green alien baby!”

“The Mandalorian said I could watch him,” says Winta proudly.

“I couldn’t believe Omera went in and brought him food,” says another voice too high up for him to identify. “Mercy, I’d be too scared to be alone with him.”

“Don’t be unkind,” chides another voice. “He and his friend are here to help us.”

“Mercs aren’t my kind of people.”

“He’s nice,” says Winta defensively. “He said I could feed his baby and play with him.”

The adults murmur among themselves and one pats Winta’s head. “Run along, dear,” she says. “Better finish your walk well before dark.”

They continue on, to a broad path of soft squishy grass between two ponds. “I hate it when they do that,” grumbles Winta. “I’m not a baby like you.” She sighs. “No offense.”

He squeezes her finger. _ It’s okay. _

“After all, I’m old enough to look after you, aren’t I?” Winta glances around, then freezes. “Oh. We should get away from the ponds.”

She picks him up and carries him to a grassy clearing, where she sets him down again. They are still all on their own. The grass grows tall enough to tickle his nose here, and it makes him sneeze.

Winta laughs and plops down in the grass. He sits next to her. “Mama said Caben and Stoke found you and your papa on a spaceship,” she says. “I’ve never seen a real one. I bet it’s really cool.”

_ It is, _ he tells her. _ You’d like my ball, and all the buttons. _

Winta curls up, propping her chin on her knees. “I bet it’s nice to have a papa. You’re lucky. I wish I still had mine.”

She feels sad now. Winta doesn’t have a Dad? No one gives her frogs to eat and makes mean people disappear-Gone? He pats her leg, trying to make her feel better and not sure how.

“It’s okay,” says Winta. “I’ve got Mama still and I love her. But I miss Papa.” She cocks her head. “Do you have a mama? Or is she gone like my papa?”

He doesn’t know. All he has are the hazy memories, the kind people who looked like him, long ago before Yarull. One of them was a Dad, so maybe he had a Mom too. But try as he might, he can’t remember for sure.

“Do you like it here?” asked Winta. “It was really nice before the stupid raiders came and ruined everything. They’re mean.”

_ If they’re mean, my Dad will make them disappear-Gone, _ he tells her.

“Mama says your papa and Cara Dune are mer-cen-aries,” Winta says, testing out the word on her tongue. “That means they’re good fighters and if we give them money and a place to stay, they’ll get rid of the raiders for us.”

_ Maybe Dad will show you the sparkles, _ he says. _ They’re pretty. _

He and Winta stay in the grass for a while. Winta picks at the grass and he copies her, plucking the long green strands and giggling when Winta tickles him with some of them. He sees a frog hopping through the grass and is just about to go chase it when he hears a voice calling Winta’s name.

“Coming, Mama!” says Winta, and she scoops him up.

_ Next time, frog, _ he tells the delicious creature as it gets away.

Omera is frowning when they make it back to the village. “You need to stay close, Winta,” says Omera in a firm voice. “It’s not safe lately.”

“Yes, Mama,” says Winta.

“Let’s go to our house,” says Omera. “We can play there.”

Winta carries him to another brown building and takes him inside, opening a box full of fun things. There is even a ball, though this one is big and brown and made of sticks, not small and shiny and silver like his ball. He tries to grab it.

“You want to play ball?” asks Winta. “Let’s play ball!”

Dad is not back yet, but if he has to wait, he might as well play. He holds up his hands, ready, and Winta kicks him the ball.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Winta and I'm so glad to write more of her and Baby Yoda. (And I'm super jealous that actress got to cuddle the Baby Yoda puppet for multiple takes and probably for days.)
> 
> Next time: Dad and Cara have news, and Baby demands the attention he is owed.


	5. The Determination

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dad and Cara have adults to talk to. Baby must figure out how to get Dad to pay attention to him.

The sun is starting to hide behind the trees by the time the villagers start talking and gathering outside, pointing at something. Winta peeks over so he copies her, and sees two people walking out of the trees. Even when he reaches out to sense them, he already knows - Dad and Cara are back!

_ Dad! Dad! _ he calls, but lots of other people are talking and Dad can’t hear him. They are all gathering in front of the barn, and he weaves through the forest of shoes to make it there. Dad and Cara are standing in front of all of them, and he hurries right up to Dad and pulls on his boot, demanding his attention.  _ DAD! _

Dad looks down.  _ Hi, Dad, _ he says. _ You’re back! _

He can hear voices whispering and saying “aww” behind them. Dad doesn’t like it, but he doesn’t care. He wants Dad.

Dad pats his head and offers his finger for the finger game and he takes it. “You all right?” asks Dad.

“We went on a walk and played ball,” says Winta brightly from behind him.

“What did you find out there?” asks Omera.

“Is everyone here? It’s easier just to tell everyone,” says Cara.

“I can hold him while you talk,” says Winta eagerly.

“Thank you,” says Dad, picking him up and handing him to Winta. He whines - he’d rather Dad hold him - but Dad pats his head again and he decides to stay with Winta for now. Winta is nice and he likes her, but she better give him back to Dad soon.

Winta stands by Omera. “We’re all here,” says Omera, glancing at the other people. “What’s your report?”

“Bad news. Can’t live here anymore,” says Dad.

All the people are instantly mad. Winta looks up at her mom, scared now; Omera strokes her hair but he can feel that Omera is scared too. Cara is saying something to Dad he can’t hear, but then she steps up and speaks. “I know this is not the news you wanted to hear, but there are no other options.”

“You took the job!” says No Hat. “Yeah!” agrees Hat.

“That was before we knew about the AT-ST,” says Cara.

“What is that?” asks No Hat.

“The armored walker with two enormous guns that you knew about and didn’t tell us,” says Cara. She has lots of feelings too, just like the villagers, but he can’t understand hers - almost-scared-but-not-quite. Dad is leaning back against the wall and watching her, but does not say anything yet.

The villagers are all yelling at Cara, angry and sad and scared, but finally Omera speaks up and though her feelings are scared her voice is calm. “We have nowhere to go.”

“Sure you do. This is a big planet. I mean I’ve seen a lot smaller,” says Cara.

The villagers don’t like her words. “My grandparents seeded these ponds,” says Hat. “It took generations!” adds No Hat, and many other villagers agree.

“I understand. I do! But there are only two of us,” says Cara.

“No there’s not!” says No Hat, gesturing to the people around him. “There’s at least twenty here!”

The others agree with No Hat but Cara does not. “I mean fighters! Be realistic.”

The villagers insist they can learn. Winta is very scared, and holds him too tight, but he doesn’t whine this time. He pats her hand. He doesn’t like the loud voices or all the angry feelings either, but he knows Dad will fix it. Dad has not been speaking but he is paying attention. He doesn’t want the villagers to be scared. Whatever an AT-ST is, he's sure Dad can turn it into sparkles or an explosion and make it disappear-Gone.

“I’ve seen that thing take out entire companies of soldiers in a matter of minutes!” says Cara. Her voice is angry but she still feels almost-scared instead. Winta is scared, all the villagers are scared, everyone is all scared scared scared -

“We’re not leaving,” says Omera, her voice calm and steady, and she shares her calm with everyone else. The villagers quiet down.

“You cannot fight that thing,” says Cara.

Dad finally speaks. “Unless we show them how.”

All the villagers start talking again. Cara looks over at Dad, who nods slightly at her. Cara has too many feelings to understand, but she nods back. “Listen,” Cara says. “We can teach you, if you’re willing. But this isn’t… This will be dangerous.”

“I am willing to fight to protect my home,” said Omera. She strokes Winta’s hair before turning to the others. “Is anyone else willing to volunteer to fight?”

Every hand goes up.

Omera looks back at Cara and Dad. “It’s settled.”

Dad nods. “Cara and I will come up with a plan of attack based on what we saw while scouting. Tomorrow we’ll start preparing.”

“Tomorrow,” echoes Omera. She looks around at the others. “Go get some rest. We’ll need it.”

The villagers scatter. Winta carries him up to Dad. “He was good,” she says. “Can I play with him tomorrow?”

“We’ll see,” says Dad. Finally, Dad picks him up, and he nestles into Dad’s arms against the cool silver metal. He likes Winta, but this is where he is supposed to be. Omera tells them good night, and so does Winta, and then they leave.

Cara sighs and folds her arms. “Well, we’re in it now, Mando.”

Dad doesn’t say anything for a moment, ignoring him when he clicks his claws against the metal. “We can give them a fighting chance, at least.”

Cara snorts. “Have  _ you _ ever faced down an AT-ST?” The like-scared-but-not-scared feeling passes through her like a shiver. “I sure remember what happened to my friends when I did.” She stomps back inside the barn.

Dad stays outside another minute, looking over the village, gazing up at the purple and grey sky and not at him.  _ Dad! _ he says, patting his arm. If only he had the green button. _ Dad! _

Dad sighs. “Okay, okay, we’re going in,” he says, and takes him inside.

Cara is already sitting on her cot, dismantling her gun and taking a gulp of a bright blue drink. It looks tasty. Dad sets him down in the crib and goes over to his own cot, sitting down opposite Cara. “What can you tell me about AT-STs? Any weaknesses?”

Dad and Cara start talking. Neither of them even look at him! No fair! Dad has been gone all day, doesn’t Dad want to talk to him? He wants to talk to Dad!

The crib is easy to climb out of, easier than the pod. Dad looks over and sees him get out, but goes back to talking to Cara. It must be okay to get out of the crib then, so that didn’t work. He could try and touch Dad’s rifle. He did that once on the ship and Dad carried him for a long time. Dad was scared, though, and he doesn’t like to make Dad scared.

Cara takes another gulp of her bright blue drink and sets her glass back on the floor. It looks tasty. And if Cara pays attention to him, Dad will have to too.

Dad and Cara are still talking as he walks over. He looks up to see Cara is focused on her gun as she talks to Dad, cleaning the different pieces just like Dad did sometimes on the ship. The glass is almost as tall as he is, but he manages to tip it towards his face. The blue liquid inches closer and he sticks out his tongue to try and taste.

“No!” Dad’s voice surprises him so much he drops the drink, and blue liquid spills all over the floor. Next thing he knows he is up in the air and in Dad’s arms. “No, stop that!”

Dad tries to put him back in the crib but he hooks his claws into Dad’s cloak and won’t let go. _ No, Dad, I want to stay with you! _

Dad sighs a big, long sigh, but walks back over the cot and sets him in his lap. He is okay with this. He snuggles up against Dad, tapping his claws against the silver metal on the arm that curls around him, keeping him safe and warm. _ I had fun today, Dad. I played with Winta. _

Dad  _ hmm _ ’s at him, so he keeps talking. _ Winta’s nice. You’ll get rid of the mean people for her, right? _

He looks over and Cara is watching him now. “You have him very long?” she asks.

“About a week,” says Dad.

Cara’s eyebrows go up. “He seems really attached to you.”

He catches one of Dad’s fingers and Dad wiggles it for him, making him giggle. “I don’t think he was being treated well,” says Dad.

Cara snorts. “Not by the Imps, that’s for sure.”

Dad is quiet for a moment, letting him play with his finger, but finally asks Cara, “Do you know… in the New Republic, is that where this species… have you ever seen anyone like him?”

Cara shakes her head. “No, nothing like that. Closest I can think of is a Lannik, but they’re not green.” She puts the barrel back on her gun very forcefully. “Might just be from another world the Empire wiped out.”

Cara and Dad keep talking about the village, the ponds, the AT-ST, the raiders. It’s boring but he likes listening to Dad’s voice and sitting on Dad’s lap, and he is content.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kid push boundaries when they're comfortable with an adult (source: my students) so that's part of the reason I love the button pushing scene so much, and I definitely wanted to expand on that in the fic. Din is probably the first adult in a very long time, if not ever, who Baby Yoda is comfortable enough to demand attention from.
> 
> Next time: Separation anxiety to the max.


	6. The Preparations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He just wants to stay with his dad. Why can't he stay with his dad?

He wakes up in the crib, wrapped up in a warm blanket. Cara is awake, putting on her armor, but Dad is still asleep. Cara doesn’t pay him any attention as he climbs out of the crib and heads over to Dad’s cot.

The cot isn’t too tall, just above his head. He reaches out as far as he can and manages to grasp it. His hands alone aren’t strong enough to pull him up, so he gives himself a push and makes himself go up onto the cot. From there it’s easy to climb onto Dad, claws clicking as he carefully walks up the shiny silver metal to the familiar helmet.

Dad snores. He’s definitely still asleep. Why is he asleep? It’s morning and sunlight is filtering through the walls.  _ Wake up, Dad! _ he says, flopping down onto the helmet and patting it with his hands. _ Wake up! _

Dad sits up so fast he goes flying back onto the cot. _ Wheee! _ He pops back up, giggling, and reaches up. _ Again, Dad, again! _

“Your kid’s up,” says Cara across the room. She can’t hide the laugh in her voice.

Dad sighs, but then rubs his head. “Good morning, you little womp rat.”

Cara is watching them. “Did you think there would be an attack last night? You should’ve told me.”

“No,” says Dad, stretching out his neck.

“Oh. Why’d you wear the armor, then?”

“This is the way.”

“What?” Cara is surprised, and steps up to the cot. “You mean, that whole thing about not taking the armor and stuff off, that’s not exaggeration? You can’t take the helmet off in front of anybody?”

“No,” says Dad.

“You wore that thing all night?!”

Dad stares at her. Dad is not mad at the words, but there is something, something else he doesn’t quite understand. “This is the way.”

“Shit, you should’ve said something. I would’ve slept somewhere else,” says Cara. She glances down at him. “Ah, um, I mean shoot.”

“It’s fine,” says Dad. Dad picks him up and stands, rolling his shoulders. “I have to stay with the kid anyway.”

“Well, tell me if you need me to get out,” says Cara. “Seriously. Wait, you didn’t even eat last night!”

Dad shrugs, but Cara is already heading to the door. “Stay here. I’ll grab you something to eat then I’ll leave you to it.”

Dad sets him back down but when he whines picks him back up, and slowly carries him to the doorway. Together they look over the village. The sunlight is already glittering off the ponds, just like the sparkles from Dad’s rifle. The villagers are awake and moving, organizing baskets and boxes. Yummy smells drift through the air, fresh and vibrant. This skughole is so different from where he stayed with Yarull and the planet with the White Armors. It feels… peaceful.

Cara comes back, carrying a tray of food. Omera has come with her too. “It’s fresh,” she says, smiling at Dad. She nods at him. “I can take your boy so you can eat.”

“Thank you,” says Dad, and he starts to hand him to Omera.

_ Hey! _ He latches on to Dad’s cloak; he’s noticed his claws keep a hold on that better than the silver metal armor. Dad tries to pull him off, but every time Dad unhooks a claw he gets another back into the cloth. He is going to stay with Dad today.

“Stop. You go with Omera,” says Dad in that maybe-firm voice he used on the ship. Dad tries to get him off the cloak and fails. He’s winning! Dad will  _ have _ to let him stay!

“Come here, little one,” says Omera, and she deftly unhooks his claws from the cloak. That’s cheating! He whines, and when he feels Dad get a little bit sad, he knows he can make Dad let him stay! He reaches back out. _ Dad! _

“No,” says Omera, and her voice is not maybe-firm, it is  _ definitely _ -firm. She will make him do what she says. “Let him eat. Tell him bye-bye.”

He whines more. Dad’s feelings waver again, and Cara is barely holding in her laughter, but Omera does not waver. “Go on inside and I’ll take him to the longhouse. I can distract him with some food.”

Dad hesitates, but takes the food from Cara and walks back inside. What is he doing?!  _ Dad!  _ he yells as loud as he can. _ DAD! _

“Let’s find you some breakfast, shall we?” asks Omera in a cheerful voice. He whines but she isn’t bothered at all! He tries to get down, to go back to Dad on his own, and she won’t let him!

“I know, I know,” says Omera soothingly. “It’s hard being away from your papa. He’ll be back soon.”

He knows Dad will be back, but that doesn’t mean he likes leaving him.

He watches their little building until he can’t see it anymore. Omera takes him into a bigger building. Lots of people are there, all talking and eating and drinking. He can smell the food and his ears perk up as his middle growls.

“Baby! Look, it’s the baby!” He hears Winta’s voice and sees her with several other children. They all wave at him until Omera brings him over. “He can sit with us, Mama!” says Winta. Omera brings him over and sets him down on the table by Winta. Now he is tall and he can see. And suddenly all the children are offering him food!

Maybe leaving Dad - just for a little bit, and just here when he’s with Winta - is okay after all.

-

Dad does come back, and walks right over to him and picks him up when he reaches out. His middle is stuffed full of the yummy blue meat Winta called krill; all of the children had given him as much as he wanted. He is so full he does not want to walk now or possibly ever. He wants Dad to hold him.

“Cara and I have a plan,” Dad tells Omera. “When will the villagers be ready? We want to tell everyone together before dividing them up into different groups for different tasks.”

“Most everyone’s finished eating,” says Omera. “Iva and Dari have already volunteered to watch the children. I’ll pass the word around that you and Cara are ready.” She nods at him. “He can stay with the other children, of course. They all adore him.”

“That’s good,” says Dad. Dad shifts him in his arms, letting him nestle a little closer, before asking, “He’ll be safe?”

Omera smiles. “Iva and Dari are very good with the children. They’ve been the unofficial schoolteachers for our village for years. And Winta already can’t stop talking about him. I know she’ll be happy to keep an extra eye on him.”

“I will,” says Winta from back at the table. “I promise!” All the other children say they will take good care of him too.

He digs his claws into Dad’s cloak. He’d rather stay with Dad.

It’s not long before Omera starts telling the villagers to meet by the west ponds and they all start to leave, except for an older man and woman that Omera introduces to Dad as Dari and Iva. Both of them smile and promise Dad they will take good care of his boy.

Wait, that’s him! No way! He whines at Dad. _ I want to stay with you! _

But Dad hands him over to Iva and this time copies how Omera got his claws out of his cloak easily. He whines again and feels Dad waver, but Dad only gives him a pat on the head and then walks away.

_ Dad! _ he cries after him, but Dad does not come back.

Iva bounces him. “There, there, it’s all right.”

He wants to cry - maybe that would bring Dad back? - but remembers that Yarull would hit him on the head if he cried. He does not want Iva to hit him, so he stays quiet.

Omera comes back and tells all the children to come listen to the Mandalorian and Cara tell the plan, so that they know what will happen. He whines, but Iva and Dari do not go out with the children. Dari tries to give him food but his middle is already too full. Instead Dari starts talking, telling a story, but it’s boring and he doesn’t like it, and no matter how much he whines Iva still doesn’t put him down.

The children come back soon. They are all a little scared, but talking excitedly about the ponds and the walker. Dari and Iva start dividing them up into groups and assigning them chores to do, talking about preparations for the raiders’ attack.

Iva finally puts him down. Now is his chance. No one is looking at him, and it’s easy to walk away and out the door.

Outside everyone is busy. Some people are chopping down trees in the distance. Cara is by one of the ponds with several people with shovels and all of them are pointing and talking. There is a flash of silver, and he sees Dad walking over to stand by Cara.

There are a pair of frogs but he ignores them as he walks between the ponds and over to Dad. The sun makes Dad all shiny and pretty and impossible to miss, and it’s easy to walk right up to him and grab on to the familiar boot. _ Dad! _

Dad looks down at him. “Hey!” Dad scoops him up. “What are you doing out here?!”

_ I found you, _ he says. He leans his face against the smooth silver metal; right now it’s warmer than it usually is, but still nice.

He hears Cara laugh, and that makes Dad mad as he turns his head to look at her. Cara only shrugs, grinning. The other villagers are smiling as well. “Mine was an escape artist at that age too,” laughs one of them.

Dad is not amused. He sighs and starts walking away.

At first he doesn’t mind; Dad is holding him and that’s what he wanted. But Dad takes him back to the building with Iva and Dari!

Iva and Dari are worried when they see Dad. “There he is!” says Iva. “Mandalorian, we’re so sorry, he just - disappeared,” says Dari.

“It’s fine,” says Dad, though Dad does not feel like it’s fine. Dad looks down at him. “You stay here. It’s safe here. You stay.”

No! Not again! But Dad hands him back to Iva and then leaves.  _ I want Dad! _ he whines at Iva, and tries to squirm out of her grasp, but she does not let go.

“Maybe we should get that crib,” says Dari.

“I can hold him!” says Winta, popping up beside Iva. “He likes me. I’ll take care of him.”

“Keep a close eye on him. He’s a sneaky one,” says Iva, but she hands him to Winta. Winta holds him close and it’s better, but it’s still not Dad.

The children are all busy now, writing with chalk on plain boards. Winta holds him while a girl with yellow hair writes out boxy shapes on the board and tells him that’s Winta’s name and the word “baby,” which is all the children ever call him.

“It’s strange the Mandalorian doesn’t name him,” he hears Dari say, so quietly he almost misses it.

“Maybe it’s a Mandalorian custom,” says Iva.

He doesn’t care. He is himself, and that’s all that matters. He doesn’t need words when he can sense when people are talking about him. Dad may not call him by a name, but he knows Dad will still take care of him and keep him safe, and that’s enough.

Winta wants to write on the board now, and hands him to Yellow Hair Girl. Yellow Hair Girl holds him too tight around his middle, and he tries to squirm away. She sets him down and does not hold his hand, and does not look away from Winta writing. Now’s his chance! He makes sure Dari and Iva are looking away and he heads for the door, and makes it back outside into the sun.

He looks for Cara again and barely sees her. She and several villagers are in the pond, digging with shovels. Are they trying to scoop all the water out? It doesn’t matter; Dad isn’t there. He looks around more and sees the shine of silver. Dad is by Hat and No Hat and a few others now, showing them how to tie three big sticks together into a big triangle shape. He makes it almost all the way there when Hat sees him and points. “Hey, it’s your kid!”

Dad is mad this time, and he hesitates. He does not want to make Dad mad. But Dad still walks over and picks him up, and now he is back where he is supposed to be, held close in Dad’s arms with smooth shiny metal under his hands. “Finish this. Tie it the way I showed you,” says Dad, and then he walks off.

Once again Dad is taking him to the big building!  _ Dad, why? _ he whines. _ I want to stay with you! _

This time Iva runs out to meet them. “There you are!” she says. “Your kid’s a runner, Mandalorian.”

“I can see that,” says Dad. “This is the second time he’s gotten out.”

“I  _ am _ sorry about that,” says Iva, though her voice sounds like she thinks if Dad is mad at her, he better not be. “He’s never been in a daycare or school program before, has he?”

Dad waits a moment before he says “No.”

“I thought so. It’s easier on the kids here, the whole village is close and they know us. But he’s not used to us yet.” Iva smiles. “Nothing we can’t handle, though.”

“He shouldn’t be out,” says Dad. “We’re going to have all sorts of equipment out soon. Weapons, too.”

“Dari and I are going to personally hold on to him,” says Iva, and her voice is definitely-firm. His ears droop down, and he makes sad noises at Dad. _ But Dad, I want to be with you! _

They don’t work. Dad hands him back to Iva. Once again, Dad walks away.

-

Iva and Dari take turns holding him. He whines. He fusses. He squirms. He even starts crying. Iva and Dari do not put him down, no matter what. They don’t even let Winta hold him now. They have decided that he will not go anywhere except their arms, even though their arms do not have pretty shiny metal on them and are not as nice as Dad’s.

The children all offer him toys and more of the blue meat called krill. He refuses it all, even from Winta.  _ I want Dad! _ he tells them, but no one understands his words. They talk to him and tell him stories and even sing to him but none of them say  _ Yes, I will take you to Dad _ so he doesn’t care. He wants Dad!

He doesn’t know how long he fights and fusses and whines without effect, but it makes him tired. He can barely keep his eyes open, and a big yawn escapes his mouth.

“There, there,” said Iva, rocking him gently. “You’ve wore yourself out, little one. Why don’t you take a nice nap?”

It never works but he tells her he wants Dad, not a nap, anyway. “Shh, shh,” says Iva in a half-singsong voice. “There’s a sleepy boy, good night, little sleepy one.” She hums softly and it’s a nice sound, enough to make him close his eyes for real. Maybe a little sleep wouldn’t hurt… 

He’s vaguely aware of being laid down on soft blankets and another being draped on top of him. He snuggles in deeper. It’s so warm and comfy and -

\- and not arms! He’s free!

He sits up and finds that Dari and Iva are both occupied with other children. This is his chance! He quickly climbs out of the nest of blankets he’d been settled in, hiding behind a basket to make sure he can’t be seen, and sneaks out the door.

It’s warm and the sun is shining and it looks so wonderful after being cooped up in the building all day. But he isn’t going to stop and enjoy it; he has to find Dad.

He looks around for that familiar silver shine, peering through the high grass and across the smooth ponds that glitter whenever the water ripples from the creatures below as he ventures through the village. Some of the villagers are working on another big wooden triangle like Dad was making with Hat and No Hat. Cara is with a group of villagers all holding sticks, showing them the right way to hold them and move them.

Suddenly he hears blaster fire! He hides in the tall grass with a squeak. He almost runs back to the building, but then it stops. “Check your feet,” says Dad’s voice. “Your stance needs to be steady enough to compensate for the recoil.”

He peeks out of his hiding spot and then he finally sees a gleam of silver. It’s Dad! He hurries forward and Dad is standing next to a group of villagers in a line, all with blasters pointed at a rack of pots and pans that are covered in scorch marks. He fixes the feet of all of them until he comes to Omera, who he just nods at. “Again,” says Dad. “Fire.”

Blaster noise again! But this time he is not scared and watches. All the villagers fire their blasters, trying to hit the pans. Most are frustrated or uneasy or almost-scared, except Omera. To her, this is familiar, and she hits her pan with every shot.

Watching them all only entertains him for a moment. He came here for Dad.  _ Dad! _ he calls as he walks forward. _ Dad! _

Dad is instantly scared. “Cease fire!” Dad yells at the villagers, and before he can figure out what scared Dad, he has been scooped up into Dad’s arms and held close.

The villagers are all staring at them and muttering. Dad doesn’t like it. “Take five,” he tells them. At their blank looks, “A break. Take a break. And make sure the safety is on all of those, and put them all in their cases. Do  _ not _ leave them out.”

Omera hands her blaster to one of the others as they file away and walks up to them. “He got out again?” she asks.

“This is the third time,” says Dad, and he is mad. “They said it wouldn’t happen again.”

“Iva and Dari do have a lot of children to look after,” says Omera.

“He could’ve wandered right into that blaster fire,” says Dad. “If I hadn’t heard him -” He cuts himself off. “Let me take him back and then we can continue.”

Omera joins them as Dad starts walking. At first he is just happy to have Dad holding him, but then he sees the big building. They are going back again! Why?! Why won’t Dad let him stay?

Does Dad not want him anymore?

He’d been so sure Dad wasn’t going to leave him, he’d  _ sensed _ it, but maybe Dad had changed his mind. Dad had left him before, with the White Armors. Is Dad going to leave him with Iva and Dari now? What if Dad leaves him forever?

He’s not supposed to cry. Yarull and the others would hit him if he did, and he doesn’t want Dad to hit him, but he doesn’t want Dad to leave him! He can’t help it! The tears start spilling out of his eyes, dripping onto Dad’s cloak and trailing down the silver armor, and he can’t stop the wail that comes out of his mouth, and once it starts there is no stopping. He presses his face against Dad and cries.

He feels Dad stop walking. “What’s wrong?” asks Dad.

_ I don’t want to go back! _ he says. _ Don’t leave me, Dad! _

“Can I ask you something?” he hears Omera say. He feels Dad’s chin dip against him and Omera says, “He’s never been away from you, has he?”

Dad adjusts his arms around him before answering. “Not since I… found him.”

He swallows his cries and peeks out to see Omera giving him a curious look. “Found him?”

“I found him being held by mercs,” says Dad. “I took him with me.”

“Poor thing,” says Omera. She reaches out and touches one of his ears, but gently. It’s nice, not like when Yarull would pull on them. “That must’ve been frightening for him.”

“Yes,” says Dad, but then Dad keeps walking. They are going to the big building again! He cries, and Dad stops, and he digs his claws into Dad’s cloak. He has to hang on or Dad will leave him again!

Dad sighs. “What’s with you today?” he asks. Omera is looking at him again, and Dad tells her in a rush, “He’s never done this before. The crying and the fussing, none of it.”

“Well…” Omera gives Dad a gentle smile. “It’s working.”

Dad is confused. “What?”

“You’re giving him what he wants,” says Omera. “When he runs away or cries, he gets your attention. That’s why he keeps doing it.”

Dad is very confused now, and more feelings he can’t quite figure out. “He wants… me?”

“Of course he does,” says Omera.

Omera is very smart. She has figured it out, at least. Dad is standing there with an entire storm of emotions too much for him to understand, but at least Dad is still holding him. He snuggles closer to the familiar smooth metal and wipes his face on Dad’s cloak. Dad holds him closer, his arms warm and safe around him.

“He can’t be out here,” says Dad finally. “There’s too much going on. He could get hurt.”

“He should be with the other children,” agrees Omera.

Dad is silent for a moment before asking, “What should I do?”

“He wants your attention,” says Omera. “So give him plenty before you leave him with Iva and Dari. He’ll probably cry when you leave, but ignore it. If he comes back out, ask one of us to take him back. And when you pick him up at the end of the day, give him plenty of attention again. Teach him that he’ll always have you, but sometimes you have to go out and work.” She touches Dad’s shoulder. “I had to do it with Winta when she was young. It’s not easy, but it can be done.”

Dad still has too many feelings and he can’t understand what’s going on. Why can’t he stay with Dad? Dad took him to chase the mean people and fight the big scary monster. Why is this different? Dad starts walking again, slowly and with Omera following, but this time when he cries Dad doesn’t stop. _ Dad, Dad, I don’t want to go! _

The building looms closer and closer. Children are running around outside, and so are Iva and Dari. They run up to Dad when they see him. “There he is!” exclaims Iva. “Oh stars, I put him down for a nap and -”

“I know,” says Dad.

“There you are, baby!” shouts Winta as she runs up with the other children. They all cluster around Dad, trying to look at him. Dad doesn’t like it and he doesn’t either. He buries his face back in Dad’s cloak, where it’s warm and familiar and safe.

“Go back inside,” says Omera. “We’re practicing with weapons and you need to be where it’s safe.”

Dari herds them all inside while Iva stays with him and Dad and Omera. Dad is still holding him. Dad  _ wants  _ to hold him, and he clings to that feeling, because Dad wants to give him to Iva too.

Omera nods at Dad encouragingly, and Dad bounces him in his arms. “Hey,” says Dad, and he looks up. “You’re going to stay here.”

He starts to cry but Dad cuts him off. “No, you’re going to stay here this time. You stay with Iva. I’m going with Omera, but then I’ll come back for you, okay?”

_ No, Dad! _ he cries, but Dad’s voice is going from maybe-firm to definitely-firm. “I will come back later. You stay here, where it’s safe, and I’ll be back later.”

His claws are unlatched from Dad’s cloak and he can’t grab it again fast enough. Dad hands him to Iva. He reaches back. _ Dad! _

Dad pats him on the head. “I’ll come back,” he says, his voice maybe-firm again. He glances at Omera, who nods at him, and then Dad starts to leave. He cries as loud as he can, and Dad slows down, but Dad doesn’t look back and he walks away with Omera.

Iva takes him inside. The other children are all playing, though Winta leaves her friends to come over to him. “It’s okay, baby,” she says, reaching out to hug him. He pulls away. He doesn’t want hugs, he wants Dad!

“Leave him be, Winta,” says Iva, and Winta shrugs and goes back to playing.

He cries more but Iva only bounces him, humming quietly. The noise sounds kind of like Glasses’ big black droid, and he flinches at the memory. The scary black droid, Glasses and his needle, all the mean White Armors chasing him… Dad was gone, and everything was bad!

But then Dad came back, he remembers. Dad did come back. If Dad came back then, won’t Dad come back this time too?

He watches Winta and the other children. Their moms and dads are gone now, but none of them are sad. Some are worried, and missing their moms and dads, but none are sad that they are gone. Winta isn’t bothered by her mom being gone at all; she is playing ball with her friends instead.

He settles in Iva’s lap and watches the children for a long time. Sometimes they come and play the finger game with him. Iva hums songs for him and bounces him on her knee. He doesn’t really like any of it, but it’s not bad or scary.

It’s much later when the first dad comes through the door. Hat Boy runs to him and hugs him. Then more moms and dads come, and the children run up to greet them. Omera walks inside and Winta goes to her, smiling and talking.

His ears perk up as he senses who’s approaching and finally his Dad walks through the doorway.  _ Dad! _ he cries, and Dad walks straight to him and takes him out of Iva’s hands and holds him in his arms. “You stayed,” says Dad. “Good.”

_ Dad, you came back, _ he says, and holds on to Dad tight. This time, Dad lets him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me, at all times, watching The Mandalorian: Din I am begging you, please space-google "separation anxiety." Or anything child development-related.
> 
> Writing separation anxiety and how it's handled between Din and Baby Yoda was more than a little self-indulgent for me but I hope you enjoyed it anyway. I just need someone in-universe to do a parent/teacher conference with him since I can't!!
> 
> Next time: He stays with the children while Dad leaves to go make a big scary boomy thing go away.


	7. The Walker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The village comes under attack.

The next few days are all the same. In the morning he leaves with Omera after Dad gets his food. He plays with Winta until Dad comes back, then Dad brings him to the big building where the children stay. Dad holds him and tells him he has to stay before giving him to Iva, and he stays with the children until Dad comes to get him and takes him back to the barn with him and Cara.

He doesn’t like it, but not running away means he gets to play with the children instead of sitting in Iva or Dari’s lap all day. They give him their white sticks called chalk and he gets to draw on their black boards. They show him funny shapes called letters and try to get him to copy them, but he likes making his own better. They share their balls and dolls and blocks with him, and if he waits until they say so, he can knock them all down. If he opens his mouth and makes an “Ah!” sound, someone will give him yummy krill to eat.

Most importantly, if he does not run away, Dad will come to see him. Dad will pick him up and hold him, and sometimes give him a piece of krill himself instead of letting the children do it. Dad listens when he talks and looks at the chalk picture he made when he points at it. Dad goes away again then, but he knows Dad will come back. He ran away once the second day, and Omera caught him and took him back and he didn’t get to see Dad at all until much later.

Outside the village is changing. The ponds look the same but there are big piles of mud from the bottom of one laying out now. The big triangles Dad was showing the villagers how to make are everywhere, bolstered with boxes and crates. The rack of pots and pans is scorched black, and another rack holds a row of big sticks with pointy ends. Every night Dad and Cara are very tired but still talk a long while before they go to sleep. He doesn’t pay attention to it, because Dad always talks to him first, and lets him stay on his lap until he falls asleep. The only exception is when Dad asks Cara to take him away for a bit so Dad can eat. He doesn’t understand why he can eat in front of Dad but Dad won’t eat in front of him, but Dad always promises he won’t be long and never is, and it’s enough. Staying with Cara for a little bit isn’t bad. She laughs when he chases frogs and will chase him too, if he gets her to play.

He feels something different in everyone one morning when he wakes up, though. Dad is quieter than usual, and even Cara is quiet too. Outside no one else is digging in ponds or building big triangles. All the villagers have the same heavy feeling. He gets to stay with Dad for most the day as Dad and Cara look at all the triangles and talk to the villagers about “the plan.” Dad carries him for a while but also lets him walk. He sees a big, juicy frog and immediately goes after it. It tries to hop through the reeds, but it isn’t fast enough to escape him! He catches it and shoves it in his mouth. It’s the best, sweetest frog he’s ever had and he gulps it right down.

“Hey!” He looks up and sees Dad standing over him. Dad crouches down. “You can’t wander off like that. Not today, okay?”

“Not ever, unless you want to fall in the ponds,” says Cara with a snort.

Dad does not like that, and picks him up again and does not put him down for a long time.

He stays with Winta for a while when Dad eats again. Omera watches them while taking apart and cleaning a big blaster. She is quiet too; even Winta feels it and doesn’t play much with him. The two of them pick up sticks and draw in the dirt instead. Winta says her drawing is her and her mom and dad. He tries to draw himself and Dad, but can’t quite make the shapes.

When Dad returns, he nods at Omera and then picks him up and carries him back to the barn. He can tell from the oil-smell in the air that Dad has been taking apart and cleaning his blaster too, and his big rifle. Both are laid out on Dad’s cot. Dad sits on the edge and puts him in his lap, but puts his hands down when he tries to grab at Dad’s shiny armor.

“Listen,” says Dad, “this is important.”

That doesn’t make sense. Everything Dad says is important. He likes Dad’s voice; it’s never too loud or mean.

“Cara and I are about to leave,” says Dad. His eyes go wide and Dad must see it, because Dad pats his head. “Just for a little bit. While I’m gone, you’ll stay with Winta.”

Just because he’s used to Dad leaving now doesn’t mean he likes it, and he can sense this is different. He curls up closer. _ Don’t leave, Dad! _

“No, listen,” says Dad, pulling him away but only so he can see Dad’s face. “It’s going to be dangerous. The raiders are going to have lots of firepower and the walker. You  _ have _ to stay with the other children.”

Dangerous? What’s that mean? Dad let him go see the mean people and the big scary monster. Dad took him to the place with the White Armors. Why’s it different now? He wants to go with Dad!

“No matter what,” continues Dad. “No matter how loud it gets, or if you see the blasts, or anything, you have to stay inside. Okay?”

He can sense a feeling twisting through Dad, something like what Dad felt when he’d walked out while the villagers were practicing with blasters. Dad does not want him near blasters? He remembers Dad made Droid Gone for pointing a blaster at him. Dad does not like him touching his blaster or his rifle. Dad always wants him to stay away from blasters. Maybe that’s why he has to stay inside with the other children instead of going with Dad. If it will make Dad happy, he will do it. _ I will stay, Dad. _

“Okay,” says Dad again. He takes a deep breath and sighs it out.

Cara walks in. “Hey. We’re ready to go. You good?”

“We’re good,” says Dad, standing and holding him.

“I’ll tell the others,” says Cara, and she walks away. A moment later Omera and Winta arrive. Dad hands him to Winta, who holds him close. She has the same heavy feeling as all the other villagers, and she is scared too. “I’ll take care of him,” she says in a small voice.

“Thank you,” says Dad.

Omera gives Winta a kiss on the head and a smile. “Be brave, sweetheart. I love you.”

Winta nods. “I love you too, Mama.”

He pats Winta’s hand as Omera goes to talk to Dad in the doorway. He wants to tell her it’s okay, and that Dad will make all the raiders and the walker go away. Winta wouldn’t know his words even if he said it, though, and she does like the hand pat. “I’ll take care of you, baby,” she whispers. “I promise.”

They both look up in time to hear Omera tell Dad they will be ready, and then Cara reappears. She nods, and he watches as Dad leaves with her.

Omera stands in the doorway for a moment, full of many feelings but mostly something hard and brave, but walks away. Winta sits down, holding him. “Don’t worry, baby,” she says, her voice shaking. “It’ll be okay.”

Soon other children come inside the barn and sit with them. The bigger children help the adults pile the spare boxes and baskets around the inside. Dad and Cara’s cots are put up against the walls too.

The moms and dads tell their children good-bye, I love you, be brave. They are all sad and scared but a hard brave feeling too, like Omera has. Dari crouches in front of all the children. “None of you leave the barn unless an adult comes to get you or if the building catches fire,” he says. “No matter what happens, what you hear,  _ do not leave unless you have no choice. _ Do you understand?”

The children all nod, and he copies them.

Dari nods back. “Good.” He counts them, then says, “There are seven of you here. If you do have to leave, all seven of you stick together and run to the Greenleaf Clearing and wait by the Ancestor Tree. Someone will come for you.”

“Dari, what if no one comes?” asks Yellow Hair Girl in a whisper.

Dari takes a deep breath, and says, “If no one comes, head for the town. But that’s not going to happen, all right? All of us are going to keep you safe.”

Dari gives every one of the children a hug, even him. “Remember, no matter what happens, stay here and stay together,” he says, and then he leaves the building and the curtain is closed. One of the big triangles is moved in front of the door before he senses Dari walk away.

The children are too scared to talk. They huddle together and hold hands. Winta clutches him so tight it almost hurts, but he doesn’t even mind, not right now. Everyone is so scared and now he is scared too! He huddles close to Winta and she pulls him close into a hug.

The long silence is terrible. He can sense the adults outside, and they are scared and worried too, despite the hard brave feeling. He reaches out as far as he can, but Dad and Cara are too far away for him to sense them now. Dad said it was going to be dangerous. Dad is in danger! More mean people, maybe? He’d called them raiders. Was that another word for mean people?

The mean people had thrown Dad off their building. Dad had gotten back up but he had been hurt. Sometimes back on the ship he had still hurt in his back, and would press his hands to it and grumble about it. And the big monster had hurt Dad too. Dad would’ve been hurt very bad if he hadn’t stopped the monster from getting him. What if Dad has to fight a monster again and he isn’t there to stop it? What if Dad becomes Gone?!

It’s too scary a thought to have, and he presses his face into Winta’s shirt. Winta hugs him and pats his back. “It’s okay, baby,” she says. “It’s gonna be okay.”

“Shh!” says one of the other children. “We can’t let the raiders hear us! My mama said they aren’t supposed to know we’re here!”

“My papa said that too,” says Hat Boy. “If they know we’re here -”

“The grown-ups are going to keep us safe,” interrupts Winta. “It’s gonna be okay.” She hugs him. “We can’t scare the baby. We’re the big ones so we have to take care of him.”

Her words make the other children calm down. Everyone who can reach him pats his hand or his head or his back, whispering, “It’s okay, baby.”

They are all still scared.  _ It’s okay, _ he repeats back to them. _ It’s okay, my Dad is going to keep you safe. _ Dad may have had trouble with the mean people and the monster but he always won in the end. Dad will win this time too.

There’s a rumble off in the distance. The children gasp, but then everyone is silent. They are all waiting. He senses a terrible feeling between them all, like glass about to break.

A shout outside makes them all jump. His ears perk up. He can’t hear the words but he knows Cara’s voice! He reaches out with his sense with no name and he can tell she and Dad are back. They’re okay!

But something else is coming. Something loud. Every step makes the ground shake, the tremors coursing through the ground all the way back to him. And he can sense more people - angry people, mean people - coming to the village.

A bright light flickers somewhere ahead, filtering through the walls, but then there is a flash of light and a huge boom! The children all scream as their building shakes, but he doesn’t. It’s just like when he was with Yarull. Once he had been scared of all the booms, but this kind isn’t like the one in the sky with the rain. This is a gun-boom, and he’s heard lots of those before. They never reach him. Even Yarull knew how to keep booms away, and Dad knows how to too.

There is more shouting outside, too many voices for him to pick out. Blaster noise fills the air, and then there’s another big boom, closer this time. The children scream and Winta clutches him tight. Another boom and Cara’s cot almost falls over but he pushes it back up before it can fall on the children. The children are crying and so so scared, so much it’s almost overwhelming. But he pushes it away. This is just booms. Dad will make them go away. Dad will never let anything hurt them.

The next boom is so loud and close it rings in his ears. Winta presses her face to his, wet tears smearing on his head. He reaches out, trying to share his feelings with her. _ It’s okay. Dad is going to stop it. Dad is going to keep us safe. _

The booms aren’t as close now but he can still hear the fighting outside, blasters and shouting and roaring. He can feel when someone is Gone but he doesn’t know who, only that Dad is still there and still fighting. There are so many feelings and presences it’s a mess, too much for him to sense, but he knows he can always find Dad with his sense with no name. He can almost hear the sound of Dad’s rifle. Dad is surely turning all the mean people into sparkles right now.

There’s a tremendous crash, and it shakes the ground more than any of the booms did. The children scream, clutching each other, and he is caught in their arms. He forces his way out of Winta’s arms just enough to breathe and by the time his head is clear of the huddle, there is the biggest boom yet, so loud and bright he can see it through the wooden slats.

Quickly the noise dies down; the blaster fire and shouting stops. Now they can start to hear cheering, laughter, and he can sense wild happy feelings spilling across the village.

He reaches out until he finds his favorite presence and the most important one. Dad is there. He is not Gone, and he is happy.

“Is it over?” whispers Hat Boy.

“Maybe they’re gone,” says Winta, just as quietly.

“We have to wait for the grown-ups,” says Yellow Hair Girl.

They have to wait, but not for long. Omera walks in, and runs over to gather Winta in her arms and plant many kisses on her head. “It’s all right,” she said, and there are tears on her face even though she sounds so happy. “It’s all right, they’re gone. We’re safe.”

More moms and dads come through the door, scooping up their children, giving them hugs and kisses and telling them how much they love them before taking them outside. He waits in the crinkly hay patiently, tracking the presence he knows best as it gets closer.

He leaps to his feet as soon as his Dad walks in the door. Dad is dripping wet and tired and his back is hurting again. But when Dad sees him, Dad hurries right over and picks him up, just like all the other moms and dads are doing, and holds him close. Dad is happy, and he is happy too. _ I told them you would keep them safe, _ he says, curling up just under the edge of Dad’s helmet.

“You stayed,” says Dad. “Jate, jate. Good job.”

The words are better than even the best frog.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jate = Good
> 
> Din never speaks Mando'a on the show (YET) but by Mand'alor he is going to in every fic I write! Baby Yoda can't understand it, obviously, but he can sense the feelings behind what Din says. Now I just need Din to speak it in Season 2. Get on that, please, Favreau. Go full David Salo. *Client voice* I would like to hear the Mando'a.
> 
> Next time: He loves his leisurely life on the skughole. As long as Dad is there, of course. He hopes it lasts forever.


	8. The Respite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> His life on the skughole is the best he's ever had. If only it could last forever...

He’s changed his mind. Life with Dad here, on the skughole, is the best life has ever been.

Every day he gets to stay with Dad for a while, and go out and play with his friends. He can eat whenever he wants; someone will bring him krill or he can go hunt frogs on his own. He has his own toys now. He’s never had toys before, but Dari made him some and the children gave him some toys too. His favorite is a ball Winta gave him; it isn’t silver and shiny like the one Dad had given him, but soft and blue, and he can still make this one float.

The first night after the fight wasn’t very nice, though. Dad carried him the whole time but he could still see that there were people who were Gone on the ground. Most were mean people but some wore the blue clothes of the village. Some of the villagers were crying and sad. Dad did not talk to them. Dad was sad for them, but he’d noticed by now that sometimes Dad didn’t have enough words. He understood; he didn’t have words either.

Dad took him to see what had been making the big booms instead, and he finally got to see the walker. It was funny-looking, a boxy thing on stick legs but huge; even Cara looked small when she climbed on top of the wreckage. “There should still be some decent scrap we can pull from this,” she said. “Might help offset the village’s losses.”

“We can ask Omera about it,” said Dad. “Are all the fires out?”

“Yes,” said Cara. “And I capped the fuel leak, so hopefully this pond can recover, and it won’t poison the ground around it.”

They talked a while about boring things before finally going back to the barn. All the children had gone to their own homes already and while it was still full of stuff, there was enough room for Dad and Cara to lay down the cots and the crib. Dad put him in the crib and he and Cara lay down, but he couldn’t sleep. He couldn’t stop thinking of the big booms or the huge walker. What if another one came back? Just because he was used to the booms didn’t mean he liked them.

He’d crawled out of his crib then, and climbed up into the cot. Dad was still awake, and he thought maybe Dad would just put him back in the crib, but Dad tucked him in his arm and gave him a bit of his cloak to use as a blanket. He slept soundly all night that night.

Despite the scary fight, things slowly went back to how they’d been before at the village. The bodies were all gone. He and Dad and Cara went to a place a long walk away with the rest of the village, where the villagers who were Gone were put into the ground. All of them were sad; some of them cried, some were quiet, and some sang songs. At the end they all walked back and left the Gone people alone. He didn’t know what happened to the Gone mean people, though after they disappeared he saw a big column of black smoke far away.

The walker disappeared too. Dad and Cara helped the villagers take it apart into pieces and put it on the wagon, which hauled a little bit more away every day. Dad did not let him go on the walker and he had to stay with the other children. At first he cried, but then he found Dad did not mind if he watched a little bit away. But that was boring, and Dad never left the village, so soon he started playing with the other children instead. It was more fun to play than watch, and either way Dad always came back to get him.

Eventually he’d figured out that every day he could expect the same thing. He would wake up in Dad’s cot or in his crib and Dad would feed him or pay attention to him when he asked. If Dad was still asleep, he could crawl into Dad’s cot and stay with him for a while first. He had to leave while Dad ate, but he could go play with the children or stay with Cara. After that he could go back to Dad, but after a while he got bored and would go play with the children instead. Sometimes they played outside, and other times he went with them to listen to Iva and Dari. He got food when he wanted and if he wanted to curl up for a nap he could, and if he whined someone would always take him back to Dad. Sometimes Dad and Cara left for a while to do something called scouting or perimeter checks, but they always came back. He always got food from Dad when the sun went down, after Dad ate his own food, and then he got to stay with Dad and Cara until he fell asleep.

It was perfect.

-

Omera calls the other children his friends. “Go play with your friends while your papa eats.” Winta calls him her friend too. Friends are people who stay together and like each other, he thinks. So that means Dad and Cara are friends too.

“It looks like the water leaked into the Tibanna gas casing,” says Cara as she and Dad look at Dad’s rifle, now taken apart into a lot of pieces in between them. He has to stay in the crib right now. Dad does not let him touch blasters, even when they’re in pieces, and by now he has learned that if he does try to touch while Dad and Cara are cleaning their weapons, Dad will ask Omera to watch him instead. “Shit. If I’d known -”

“You brought down the walker. That’s what matters.” Dad picks up another piece and inspects it. “The casing got cracked when I got ambushed by some Trandoshans. I should’ve gotten it fixed, but -” Dad glances over at him. “Ran out of time. It should still function in a pinch, but…”

“It’s a pretty rare weapon. You know where to get replacement parts?”

Dad sets his piece down. “Yes. But I can’t go back there right now.”

Cara looks over at him too. _ What? _

“Can’t say I know of where to get any,” says Cara, using a rag to wipe down the pokey bits on the end of the rifle. “I’ve never even seen an amban rifle before outside of the Holonet. But if I find out anything, I’ll let you know.”

“Appreciate it,” says Dad, and the two of them go back to sorting through the rifle pieces.

-

Omera and Dad are friends too. Winta is his friend and she’s always asking him questions and showing him things, and Dad asks Omera lots of questions and Omera shows him lots of things.

Omera shows Dad how to wrap him up nice and snug in a blanket when it’s colder than usual one night. She calls it swaddling. It’s like she puts him in a little pod made of blanket. He’s wrapped so tight it’s almost like Dad is holding him, even though he isn’t. He pretends anyway, though.

Dad wakes up groaning one morning, almost rolling over on top of him when he presses his face into his pillow and puts a hand on his back. Omera is the one he asks for medicine. She gives him something special to drink and something warm to put on his back and tells him that she’ll watch his boy for the day and that he should just rest. He has to stay with Omera and Winta all day while Dad rests, but Dad feels better when he goes back to him that night, and Dad tells Omera thank you lots of times.

One night his tummy hurts so much he spits up all the krill he ate that day. He feels shivery and cold and awful and he cries even though it makes Dad scared, and even though it’s dark out Dad runs all the way to Omera’s house and asks her what’s wrong. Omera tells him it’ll be fine and he’ll get better and her words make Dad feel better too. In the morning she brings him broth and something that tastes yucky but makes his tummy stop hurting. Dad is very glad Omera helps him. He is glad too, because it only takes a day or two before he feels better. He decides it wasn’t that bad, though. Omera and Dad both gave him lots of attention, and Dad hardly put him down at all.

-

Winta is his best friend. Winta says he’s her best friend, so that means she must be his best friend too. Dad is still the best of all, of course, but since he’s a Dad, not a friend, it’s different.

Best friends spend a lot of time together. He spends plenty of time playing with all the children, but Winta is the one he spends the most time with, and the one he likes the best. When he has to leave so Dad can eat, Omera usually lets him sit with Winta while she eats, and she always shares her food with him. All her toys are his to play with too, even her special doll. “My papa made it for me,” she tells him. “I don’t let the other children play with her. But you can.” He is very careful with it.

The other children and most of the other grown-ups talk to him in a strange voice, higher and with a different tone, but Winta talks to him the normal way, just like Dad does. Winta tells him lots of things - her secret stash of sweets even Omera doesn’t know about, her favorite place in the forest to go to for quiet, how much she still misses her papa - even though he can never talk back in a way she understands. Winta even shows him where frogs like to hide, but when she catches them she always lets them go instead of eating them. He likes to go back to the little pool she showed him and eat whenever he is very hungry. The frogs on this skughole are tasty, and always fresh.

The krill are tasty and fresh too. They’re so pretty and bright blue, and they hop! The children will let him play with them as much as he wants before he eats them. They hop and flop all over the place and he can chase them and it’s one of his favorite games. Winta saves the biggest krill for him, and he always gives one back for her to eat too.

“I always ask Mama how long you’re going to stay and she says it’s up to your papa,” says Winta. “I hope you never leave, Baby. I want you to stay forever.”

_ Me too, _ he tells her, and he pulls up a handful of grass and puts it in her lap. The other children laugh when he does that for them, but Winta always keeps what he gives her in a basket by her bed.

-

Before he came to the skughole, he had thought that a friend was just someone who was nice to you. But now he knows it must be more than that, because  _ everyone _ is nice to him here.

At first Dad didn’t let him walk around by himself, and no one ever lets him walk around by the ponds by himself still, though they tell him no nicely and without pulling on his ears. But Dad eventually decided it was okay for him to walk through the buildings and the soft grass of the village. At first he didn’t wander far, but then he noticed that Dad was always watching him, even if he wasn’t right by him. If Dad is watching him, he is safe, so that means he can explore and be around the other grown-ups.

All the adults like him. It’s very strange. No one hits him or yells at him ever. They smile at him and wave and say hello. They ask him “Where are you off to, little one?” instead of telling him  _ scram _ or  _ put it back in the pod. _ He talks back and no one ever tells him to shut his trap or kicks him. People smile when he talks! They like it! It’s the strangest thing but he likes it too. No one understands his words, of course, but that’s how it always is. They do understand if he whines or lifts his arms or even if he just looks sad. Then someone picks him up and takes him back to Dad, patting his back and telling him “It’s okay, sweetie, we’ll find your papa.”

One time he accidentally pushed over a stack of baskets onto a grown-up. He’d tried to run away before they could yell or hit, but they caught him! He had knocked over Yarull’s boxes once and the Yarull had called him a fucking nuisance and tossed him so hard into the pod he had banged his head, and when he’d cried Yarull had hit him. He was so scared it would happen again he called for Dad to help him, but the grown-up had only cooed, “There there, did that startle you? Are you all right, little one?” They did not yell at all, but patted his head with gentle hands and even gave him a piece of krill. They carried him all the way to Dad, saying “He walked right into the baskets and startled himself pretty bad. But he’s not hurt.”

Trying to figure it out kept him awake even after he was tucked safe in Dad’s arm on the cot, and Dad had started snoring. No one here was mean. There were mean people, but they were all gone. Usually every place had mean people. Yarull and Big Boss and the others were all mean. There were mean people who stole Dad’s ship. The White Armors and Glasses and White Hair were all mean. But here, everyone is nice.

He likes that very much.

-

He loves everything about the skughole, but the best part is that Dad is always there. Dad might leave for a bit, or he might leave Dad for a bit, but no matter what by the end of the day they are together again. He could stay here forever and always be happy, as long as Dad is with him.

Dad is nearby so he can concentrate on the beautiful juicy frog he has found. It hops through the grass, but it’s not smart enough to escape him, and he follows. His tummy growls. It looks so delicious, and he wants it!

The grass hides him from frogs. He has learned that during his time on the skughole. He waits behind the grass until the sense that has no name tells him it’s time. Then he leaps forward.  _ Gotcha! _ The frog is his!

He lifts it to his mouth to eat and suddenly he hears a loud “Ewww!” He looks and all the children are staring at him - no, they’re trying not to look, covering their eyes and looking away! He can sense it - they think his yummy frog is yucky!

Winta never said anything when he ate frogs before but he’s not sure she ever saw. He eats fast. He doesn’t understand. Frogs are delicious! Do humans not eat frogs? Now that he thinks about it, he’s never seen Dad eat a frog. Or Cara, or Omera, for that matter. Is he not supposed to eat frogs?

He drops the frog out of his mouth, and the children all laugh. It’s so unfair! That frog was delicious! But Dad did tell him to spit that other frog out at Goggles’ house, so maybe he isn’t supposed to eat frogs. He shakes his head. He won’t, if he’s not supposed to - at least not in front of humans. No one can stop him if they’re not looking.  _ Next time, _ he promises the frog as it hops into a pool.

He looks over to check and Dad is still by the barn, standing near Cara and Omera. Dad does not call him back, so he follows Winta and the other children as they sit down nearby. “I’m tired of ball,” declares Yellow Hair Boy. “We need a new game.”

“I like ball,” says Hat Boy.

“We played ball already this morning,” says Winta. “Let’s do something new.”

“Look, fresh krill!” says Dark Hair Girl, pointing at a nearby basket full of still-flopping, bright blue krill. “Let’s play the krill game with the baby!”

Krill game! He loves the krill game! It’s fun!  _ Yes, yes let’s play! _ he says.

“He wants to play,” says Winta. She's always good at guessing what he’s saying. “I’ll get the basket!”

Each of the children grabs a handful of krill from the basket and soon he is surrounded by hopping blue krill, so many he can’t decide what to catch first! The children hold out krill for him to catch; they snatch it away before he can, but that’s part of the game, and he’s already learned that if he cries he’ll get his way and they will all give him the krill. But he likes this game too much to cry! Krill flop around his feet too, and when he catches one he shoves it in his mouth. The children don’t say eww when he does that. Eating krill is okay.

The krill hop flop hop on the ground and he can’t decide which one to grab next, so he glances up at Dad. Dad is still standing by Cara. He waves; Dad doesn’t wave back but he can sense that Dad saw him. Dad is still here and he is still safe. He goes back to playing.

Soon all the krill is gone. He’s a little tired now, and so are the children. Winta picks him up and carries him over to Omera. “Mama?” she asks. “Can we go sit by the pond?”

“Winta, you know the Mandalorian doesn’t want his son over there,” says Omera, frowning.

It’s the same answer she always gives. “Please, Mama,” says Winta. “He loves the krill and he’s always watching people work in the ponds. He wants to see, I know he does! And Dari said that since we’re older it’s our responsibility to teach him.”

“We’ll all sit with him, Omera,” says Hat Boy eagerly.

“The answer is no. I’m not his parent and I can’t make that decision,” says Omera sternly.

“What decision?” asks Dad, suddenly appearing behind her.

“The children want to take your boy to sit by the ponds,” says Omera, gesturing at them. “I told them you’ve said no.”

Dad looks at the children, then back at him. His ears perk up. He can sense that Dad is unsure.  _ I want to go, Dad! _ The ponds always look so exciting! It would be fun.

“I promise we’ll watch him,” says Winta.

“Omera!” calls another voice. Omera looks at Dad, says “It’s up to you,” and then is gone.

The children are not scared of Dad anymore, but they do speak very quietly and very seriously when they talk to him. “We know he’s very little,” says Hat Boy. “We won’t let him near the edge. We’ll just watch.”

“All of us will watch,” says Yellow Hair Boy. “He’ll have four watchers, so he’ll be four times as safe.”

Dad sighs, but then says, “All right. But” - he cuts off the children’s cheering - “he gives you any trouble, you take him right back to the middle of the village. He’s too small and he can’t be right at the edge of those ponds. He could drown if he falls in. Understand?”

“Yes, Mr. Mandalorian,” they all chorus.

Dad looks right at him now. “Stay away from the edge,” he says. “If you don’t listen, you stay with me.”

If he gets bored all he has to do is go to the edge of the pond and Dad will get him right away. Perfect. _ Okay, Dad. _

Dad leaves, and Winta carries him over by one of the ponds, though not right by the edge. She sets him down and all the children sit around him. A stick-like droid is dipping a basket in the water. “That’s the harvester droid,” says Winta. “I don’t know why the Mandalorian won’t let him in the barn. He’s very nice.”

Past the droid, Dad is walking over to Omera. Omera stands up and they start to walk away, but then they stop and talk instead. Dad is not leaving. Dad does not leave without telling him, anyway, but he likes to make sure. He goes back to watching the stick droid.

“Do you see how he’s scooping?” says Winta, pointing at the droid. “That’s how he only gets the grown-up krill. They’re the ones ready to eat.”

He looks around and sees they’re sitting by a big basket. Maybe it has krill already? But when he pulls on it, it’s empty.

“Hey, maybe my mama can make a basket for the baby and we can put straps on it and then we can take turns carrying him around,” says Hat Boy.

“I like carrying him in my arms,” says Winta. “And he likes hugs.”

“But he’ll get bigger one day. Then we’ll need the basket,” says Hat Boy.

“Maybe your mama should make one for the Mandalorian,” says Yellow Hair Boy. “Then he could carry the baby all over.”

He likes that idea very much. A flicker from the sense with no name tells him that Dad is even thinking about him right now. He looks over and although Dad is still talking to Omera, he’s looking at him. He reaches out to see what Dad’s feeling and is confused - Dad is missing him? Worried about him? But he’s right here. He waves to Dad. _ It’s okay, Dad, I’m here. _

Omera reaches out and tries to lift Dad’s helmet. Hey! She can’t do that! Dad doesn’t let anyone take his helmet! But Dad catches her hands and stops her. It’s all fine now so he looks back at the children. Hat Boy and Winta are talking to him.

“Would you like that, baby?” asks Winta. “A whole house made of baskets?”

“I’m sure Mama could make it,” says Hat Boy excitedly. “We could put it right by the barn. We could use sticks to hold them together and so it would stay up in the wind.”

“My papa has some extra cloth we could use for a door,” says Yellow Hair Boy.

“We could make him a tiny crib out of sticks too,” says Winta.

A whole house just for him? And not big like everything else in the world is? That would be the best!  _ But how will Dad fit? _ he asks. He can’t have a house without Dad. And he would need room so his friends could visit too.

“We could make all sorts of furniture!” says Hat Boy. “Papa has been teaching me woodcarving. I bet I could make a table and -”

The sudden blaster shot makes them all jump. Everyone is scared as soon as they hear it, and Winta grabs him and holds him close. Omera runs over. “Inside, now!” she orders, and herds them all into the nearest hut.

“Mama?” asks Winta, her voice shaking.

“The Mandalorian is going to keep us safe,” says Omera in a hard voice. He looks around and sees they’re in Omera and Winta’s house. Omera unlocks a case nearby and pulls out her blaster. “All of you stay here. Don’t leave.” She takes her blaster and goes back outside.

“The raiders came back,” whimpers Yellow Hair Boy. “I knew it.”

“No, Mama said they’re all gone and so did the Mandalorian,” says Winta, but she doesn’t feel sure.

“Shh!” says Hat Boy. “We can’t let them hear us!”

They wait in the hut. Outside there is lots of shouting and noise but then it quiets down. The people are scared but they are ready and will not let any mean people come to their village. He waits, patting Winta’s arm to help her feel better. She always likes when he does that. He wishes he could tell her that Dad will make anyone bad Gone. They are safe as long as Dad is here.

His ears perk up when he senses Dad is coming back, and he can hear the villagers talking more again, but then his ears droop. Dad is scared, very scared! He can feel it! It must be something bad if it makes Dad feel scared…

The cloth door to the hut is pushed open and all the children jump, but it’s only Dad. Dad runs right over to him and lifts him from Winta’s arms, holding him close to his chest. “Ad’ika, ad’ika,” Dad murmurs. “You’re all right.”

_ It’s okay, Dad, _ he tells him.  _ I am here. _

-

Dad says they have to leave the village, now. He doesn’t understand. There were lots of blaster noises when the mean people and the walker came. Why is this one different? All he knows is that Dad is scared and worried, more so than he’s ever felt. That makes no sense either. There’s nothing anywhere ever that can beat Dad.

Dad takes him back to the barn and won’t put him down, even when he fusses. Dad starts trying to pack everything one-handed but can’t decide if it should be the blasters first or the rifle or the toys and keeps hurrying between things. He kicks his feet, trying to get back down. There’s no more blaster noise and he wants to go play, but Dad won’t let him. “Stay with me, ad’ika,” says Dad.

Omera walks in the barn, Cara following after. “I don’t understand,” says Omera. “Cara says it was a bounty hunter? They never come here. I’m sure that-”

“They’re after the kid,” says Dad, cutting her off. “I thought I shook them but they found him. More will come. We have to leave.”

“More? Are you sure?” asks Omera.

“Yes,” says Dad. “It’s not safe here now. And as long as we’re here, you’re in danger too.”

Omera glances out the window and Dad suddenly says the same word Yarull always said when he tripped. “We need to do a full perimeter check, make sure he was working alone,” says Dad.

Dad glances between him and the window but before he can speak, Cara does. “I’ll do it. You guard the kid,” she says, and then she is gone.

“We can all help you pack,” says Omera, and when he looks behind her he sees lots of curious villagers, including the children. The adults pour in and suddenly in a flurry of motion everything is being boxed up and put away. Everyone picks something up and Dad follows them to the wagon, which is powered up and ready to go in a moment. Dad puts him on the wagon and says “Stay here” in a voice that is very, very firm, and he knows that if he does not listen this time, Dad will make him.

The adults all bring Dad’s boxes, and then new baskets of things too. Dad protests but Iva hushes him, setting her basket on the wagon. “You have a growing boy,” she says. “You need good food. It’s all prepared stuff; it should last a few weeks, even in space.”

“Thank you,” says Dad.

Omera offers Dad the crib too, but Dad says it has to stay because there’s not enough room on the ship. That’s probably why he gives Omera back one of his boxes too. “Are you sure?” asks Omera.

“I have a lot more,” says Dad. “You’ll need to be armed to defend the village if the raiders come back, or if another hunter comes.”

Omera dips her head. “Thank you.”

“Thank you,” says Dad. Dad glances over at him. “For everything.”

Cara returns. “There’s no one else out in the woods - for now, at least. I can go with you, if you think you need the extra muscle.”

“Do you need a ride off-planet?” asks Dad.

Cara shakes her head. “I’m staying on Sorgan. Love the spotchka and the quiet.” She grins, though it doesn’t quite reach her eyes this time. “Well, I love it when there actually  _ is _ quiet around here.”

The villagers chuckle, but it’s muted. They are sad - sad that he and Dad are leaving. Winta looks like she’s going to cry.

Dad puts the last few boxes on the wagon. All the people are gathered around now, adults and children. “Are you sure you don’t want an escort?” asks Cara, walking up to the wagon.

“I appreciate the offer,” says Dad. “But we’re gonna bypass the town and head right to the  _ Razor Crest.” _

“Well then, until our paths cross,” says Cara, offering Dad a hand.

Dad takes it. “Until our paths cross.”

Before he can say good-bye to Cara and grab her hand, Winta suddenly runs up, her eyes full of tears, and hugs him tightly. He leans into her soft hair and her warm presence. “I’m gonna miss you so much,” says Winta.

_ I’m going to miss you too. _ He doesn’t ever want the hug to end. He wishes Winta could come too. But he would never want to leave his Dad, and he knows Winta wouldn’t want to leave her Mom either.

He hears Omera say thank you to Dad, and he knows time is up. It’s time to leave the perfect little village and the wonderful skughole, all the frogs and the nice people and the friends. Winta lets go of him reluctantly.  _ Bye, Winta, _ he tells her, and she walks over to her mom, blinking the tears away from her eyes.

Dad comes and sits next to him on the wagon, and slowly it starts to move away. Winta is the first to wave and then everyone else follows, all the children and the adults. They smile even though they are sad. He watches them as the wagon takes them further away and the sun shines brighter in his eyes, making them water. He tries to make his ears perk up and smile back, but he can’t. His ears fall down and more and more water comes out of his eyes, and he can’t help but sniffle.

“Hey,” says Dad, and he gently wipes the water from his face. “It’s all right.”

He points back at the village.  _ I don’t want to leave, Dad! _

“I know you liked it there,” says Dad. “But we can’t endanger them. The hunters would kill them if they had to. The safest thing was for us to go.”

Hunters? Mean people? More mean people were coming? He doesn’t understand. But he wouldn’t ever want Winta to be hurt, or any of his other friends. All those people were so nice. He does not want anything bad to happen to them, ever.

He doesn’t want to leave either.

Dad holds him for the whole trip in the wagon, even after the sun goes down and the stars come out instead. Dad only puts him down inside the ship to load the boxes back into the ship and send the wagon away, and then picks him up again and takes him into the cockpit. The ship hums to life and lifts into the sky.

Dad holds him as he watches the skughole shrink, smaller and smaller until it looks almost like one of Winta’s toys. He stares until the stars become starlines, and the skughole and the perfect life he’d had on it are left behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So fun fact, if you watch the episode, Din does not look back when he hears the gunshot. He runs straight into the action. Meaning for all he knew, he was heading back to chunky Baby Yoda soup. I imagine that was the scare of his life. (Maybe enough to think that leaving the kid alone on the ship was the safest option.)
> 
> All my fics are "canon" with each other in my head, so if you would like to read an extended version of Din flipping out over his sick baby, you can read my very first Mandalorian fic over [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22003867). Or just see the comic version [on my tumblr](https://ooops-i-arted.tumblr.com/post/189394929098/according-to-the-episode-they-stayed-in-the).
> 
> Next up: Episode 5 The Gunslinger! Baby makes a new friend and Dad makes a new enemy. Reminder that each episode is its own work, so if you want updates please subscribe to the series.
> 
> I had so much fun writing Episode 4. Thank you for all your kind comments and I hope you enjoyed!


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